Crisis Code
by Atari Atagashi-Chan
Summary: KakaSasu YAOI AU Sasuke's life was already spiraling downward as he gave up his real life for a life online in an MMO. Yet, when his life takes a turn through alcohol, drugs, and apathy, who else is there to bring him back other than his guild leader?
1. Crisis Code

A/N: First two chapters are nice and light and unangsty. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Pairing: KakaSasu somehwatNaru Triangle  
Warnings: YAOI, AU, ANGST, GAMER TERMINOLOGY, slight humor for fellow gamers out there.

**All names of places and the name itself regarding Crisis Code are purely fictional and are in no way affiliated with any such existence.  
**_And, since a few people have asked, NO this is most definitely NOT based off Maple Story. I do NOT play 2D games. Or scroll games...the graphics and character designs are too mediocre for my taste. Yes I have tried Maple Story...and hated it. It makes a mockery of MMO's in my opinion.  
_I play many MMO's and I base this off what I've seen in the ones I do play, which would be FlyFF, Grand Fantasia, Runes of Magic, Ether Saga, Luna Online, and Mabinogi currently. I used to play WoW, Ragnarok, and Runescape as well, but I don't anymore...though I would be playing Ragnarok II if I could just get the damned english patch to work. -huff-

_Anyways...happy fic reading!  
_

* * *

The boy couldn't help but let a smile push forward as he read the words on the screen. Quickly, he covered his mouth with his hand as he leaned in, nibbling on his thumb. He didn't want his brother to see him smiling like this, of course. Blinking, he got up to close the door to his room, running back to the spinny-rolly chair to jump onto it and reread what the other had sent him.

_So, you're new to the guild, huh? Well, welcome to Infinitii. I hope you don't mind me PMing you. I'm a level 82 priest, you AoE? I could gladly help you level a bit with some of my buffs and stick around to heal some, if you'd like. My heal is maxed. :3_

Uchiha Sasuke bit his lower lip. He couldn't even believe someone from Infinitii was speaking to him. Hell, he couldn't even fathom the fact he had made it into Infinitii, the top guild in the popular MMORPG Crisis Code.

_ya i am aoe. but um… i mean, im only lvl 38 so i cant rly party with u or anything. u wouldnt get exp….sooo its ok. o thx btw for the welcome._

He almost debated not replying, yet closed both eyes and pushed enter, hoping he wouldn't come off as childish. Level 82...the level cap in the game was 90. And 90 was near impossible to achieve. To be level 82...

"Oi, Sasuke! Time for dinner!"

Sasuke twitched, hating to hear his older brother's voice at such a crucial time as this. "Tell mom to just save me some, I'll be down lat-"

"Get your ass downstairs. What the hell are you doing anyways?" Itachi growled, pushing the door open and charging into his younger brother's room. Sasuke immediately hit the power to the monitor, spinning in his chair to glare at the elder Uchiha.

"N-nothing! Go away!"

Itachi hesitated for a moment before allowing a smitten smirk to brush his lips. "Not until…"

"Ah!! ANIKI!"

"…I do this." With a simple press of a button, the monitor began to boot itself back to life. Sasuke struggled, both wrists held tight in his older brother's hands. "Oh my god…you're totally playing some MMO. Didn't I tell you those things ruin your life?" Itachi poked a finger to Sasuke's forehead. "You never listen to me…huh?"

Sasuke's eyes veered back to the screen suddenly, then shot open with alarm. "DON'T READ THAT!"

" 'It's okay, let me help you level. Meet me on Channel 3 at Tabitha Town by the lodelite. :3 Auto-follow me from there. By the way, where are you from? ;3' ?…" Itachi droned, raising his syllables in inquiry at the end. There was a pause. "Are you talking to pedophiles again? Don't think I've forgotten that Orochimaru guy you were webcamming wit-"

"GET OUT!" Both cheeks were tinted a bright magenta by the time Sasuke managed to push his older brother from his room, being sure to lock the door behind him, heart fluttering.

_Hello?_

A subtle ding from the speakers sent Sasuke dashing back to his chair, eyes glued to the screen once more.

_sry my brother was being a dick…which isnt unusual. umm ok let me get to town though i ran out of teleport scrolls._

Sasuke hesitated slightly, looking back to the doorknob to make certain it was locked.

_im from tokyo. u?_

The boy waited for a moment before venturing through mobs twice his level to get to said town, glancing constantly at the PM-chat box in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

_Really? Interesting, I'm from Tokyo, too. :3 Don't tell me you're from Shibuya, as well? That'd be a little creepy. XD_

Both onyx orbs blinked twice in a pattern of amazement before stopping his character at a point away from aggros to rest his shaking fingers on the keys.

…_um i actually do live in shibuya…do i kno u? u sound like one of my friends only…the mature version._

Sasuke sat stiff in his chair, wondering if his best friend, Naruto, was playing a trick on him. But how could a dimwit like him get into the infamous Infinitii guild, nevertheless reach a level 80 plus. Besides, Naruto would name his character something like Ramen, not Resplendence. The blonde probably didn't even know what that meant! Though, Sasuke had to admit, he did look it up on dictionary dot com.

_Who knows, lol. :3 Who's your friend? Shibuya's not exactly a small town. o.o;;_

The boy twiddled his thumbs, thinking, debating…

_um, uzumaki naruto?_

"Sasuke! Get down here, now!" Three loud bangs echoed in wake of a rather agitated female voice.

_ugh nvm mother calls. ill ttyl. sry i couldnt meet u. ill be on later tonight. bye._

_

* * *

_

"Honestly. What are you doing up there in that dungeon?"

Sasuke twitched noticeably as his father furrowed his brows at him from across the table whilst his mother dished out portions to the three boys. He couldn't help it if all his walls were painted black and there were no windows to speak of. That didn't make it a dungeon. There were no monsters to kill, no special items, no…

"Talking to pedophiles again." Itachi cut in, taking a sip of his milk. Sasuke blushed bright red, fists clenching.

"What the hell are you talking about! I was playing a game!"

"So that's why your grades have dropped…" A small sound hissed from the eldest Uchiha's mouth, the man being clearly perturbed. Sasuke averted both eyes down to his plate, pushing the rice around with his chopsticks apathetically, acting as though he hadn't heard his father's comment. It was true, though. Ever since he joined Crisis Code, he had gone from being a straight A student to a solid D-C average. Though, he had been careful to ignore that. Zenshin High wasn't an easy school to get by in, so a C average was rather common for even the most intelligent of folk. Yet, a prodigy from the Uchiha family? Itachi's little brother? Of course he had to make straight A's. "Sasuke, your brother graduated with perfect marks. I think we need to take that computer from you if you're not focusing on-"

"No! You can't! I gotta get to level 40, they have new weapons and there's an event tomorrow that I have to help my guild with and…and…" The room went silent as the boy's syllables dropped to inaudible, a hue of cherry across his face.

"Told you it ruins your life." Itachi mumbled, stuffing a helping of rice into his mouth. "Pass the takayaki, please."

"Sasuke, you-"

"Oh, hush, all of you," A female voice arose above the rest as she laid the dish of takayaki beside her eldest son. "It's dinner. Family time. Itachi, say grace before eating. Goodness, where have our manners gone?" Angrily, the woman snapped her wooden chopsticks into a perfect split, bowing her head slightly. "Itadakimasu."

The table went silent as the three eldest Uchiha members munched quietly. Sasuke sighed, pushing the food around on his plate, waiting to return to Crisis Code. Both feet tapped the floor gently in rhythm of the game's background music as he attempted to ignore his anticipation.

After a few moments of this, his mother looked at him, a stern aura interlaced in both eyes. "You are to go right to bed after eating, unless you plan on studying."

"What? But mom…"

"You have school tomorrow and it's already past nine. If you're not going to eat or study, bed. Now."

When the woman had made up her mind, there was no arguing with her. Everyone knew that. Even Sasuke.

"…okay." A solemn sigh dropped from both lips as the word sorrowfully cascaded from his throat in a defeated rasp. Not another word was spoken as he silently climbed the stairs in pursuit of his bedroom, getting to the top and rounding the corner into his room only moments later. Foolishly, the boy allowed hope to get the better of him and rebooted his computer, only to find the internet had been turned off. "…goddamnit…"

It was near 3am before Sasuke got to sleep.

* * *

"SASUKE!!" A loud yell alerted the black-haired boy from behind as he whipped his head around slowly, two tired onyx orbs meeting a pair of gleeful cerulean. "Eh? You look kinda tired." The blonde sat down next to his friend in the midst of the lecture-hall-like classroom, cocking a head at him.

"…Crisis Code…" Sasuke slurred, sleep riding on his vocals.

"Ehhh? Again!?" Naruto gasped, blinking twice in alarm. "Don't you sleep?"

"Gamers… don't sleep…I've learned this…the hard way."

The two looked at each other for a moment, a slight instant of alleged understanding passing between them.

"…right…" The blonde laughed awkwardly, turning his attention to the front of the room. "Guess what? I actually did my homework last nigh-"

Both bloodshot onyx hues shot open suddenly in alarm. "H-homework!?"

Naruto stared at Sasuke, jaw slightly ajar. "Don't tell me, you didn't…..again?"

Silence struck the two, allowing the bell for first block AP English IV to commence. When their professor had waltzed so casually into the room, the lecture hall had already filled to it's capacity of 70 students. Glittering silver caught the eyes of Naruto as Sasuke let his head hit the desk in defeat. 'I didn't do my homework…again!'

"We're seriously in an alternate reality or something…" The blonde muttered, pulling out his rather sloppy homework and smoothing out the crinkles on his desk as Sasuke tugged at his raven locks.

'Stupid…stupid…stupid…!'

"Alright, class, listen up!" The room went silent as the silver-haired man at the front took charge, speaking loudly in perfect English to his room full of teenagers. "As you know, this is AP English IV. There will be no more Japanese till the end of this block from this point onward."

It was the normal 'good morning, welcome to school' greeting they got every day from their professor, the impersonal Doctor Hatake Kakashi, a Ph.D major in the English language. Many less than thrilled 'yes sir's filled the air as the man at the front wrote a set of instructions on the board.

"Alright, kids. Get to it." Kakashi commanded, setting the washable marker down and stepping aside to watch the reaction of his class. Several students got to their feet, climbing the steps to the bottom of the room. Others, who obviously hadn't a clue what the instructions said, followed those who did then paused at the bottom with them and chatted idly as they attempted to decipher the foreign language.

"Alright! Let's go, Sasuke!" Naruto tugged at the black-haired boy, pulling the half-asleep teen to his feet and dragging him to the bottom before halting at the last step. "So…what does it say?"

Sasuke huffed, squinting up at the board before pulling out his glasses. Bad eyesight was common in the Uchiha household. "Paper…basket…put…uhh…" Slowly, he translated step one, brow furrowing in annoyance. "Idono." The slur of syllables rushed together in a clump as the rather piqued Uchiha leaned on the blonde, closing his eyes once more. "Night."

"Huhh? Ugh, you're no help…ah! Shikamaru!"

Spiky light auburn hair turned, holding a small, rectangular slip of paper in between his fingers. The smartest boy in class. Of course he could read it.

"Ugh, so troublesome…Yes?" He asked in plain English, giving the blonde a rather hopeless look. Naruto smiled, wondering what he had said before 'yes'.

"Um, what do the instructions say?" The infamous fox-like grin spread Naruto's lips into a teeth-revealing smile. Shikamaru shook his head, switching back to Japanese in a matter of seconds.

"You're hopeless, Uzumaki. Step one, place homework paper in the basket at the front. Step two, grab a slip of paper from the bowl beside it. Step three, proceed to the media center, find a computer, and research the word's meaning and origin. Step four, prepare and present a brief report, in English, about your word. Due tomorrow." A sigh was placed at the end of each step, indicating how simple the brunette seemed to think it was. Naruto blinked for a moment.

"So…Sasuke, did you catch all that?" The blonde nudged the weight on his shoulder, who only mumbled slightly in indication he had heard some form of speech from the other. "…right. Um, thanks, Shikamaru." A smile retraced his lips, perking the corners upwards in gratitude as the brunette waved an apathetic hand, walking away to join his girlfriend, Temari. "So…go to the media center, right?" Naruto began to walk towards the door, dragging Sasuke with him.

"Hah…? No, no…we go this way…" Sleepily, the Uchiha grabbed onto his companion's arm and pulled him towards the front of the lecture hall, where a basket and bowl lay at the front of Kakashi's desk. A hand grabbed the blonde's paper, thrusting it into the basket before plopping into the bowl, grabbing a handful of paper slips. Naruto blinked.

"Um, Sasuke…we need two…"

"That is two!" A line began to form behind them, awkward stares boring onto them and creating a limelight. Naruto averted both eyes, putting back all but two paper slips Sasuke had been holding.

"…I'd really hate to see you drunk." As the blonde pulled his partner to the media center, he handed the boy a slip of paper.

"Celerity?" Sasuke read, sitting down wearily at a computer and laying his head on the keys, not giving a damn if he pressed a couple or more. "Wonder what that means. What'd you get?" Naruto shrugged, putting his notebook down between them and flicking on both their computers.

"Hmm, lessee…"

"Are you even gonna do this project, you slacker?"

"Are you, newbie slacker?"

The two looked at each other, glares of annoyance surfacing between them, before Naruto broke their stare, unfolding his slip of paper to read it's contents. "Resplendence."

Sasuke perked up, lifting his head from the keyboard not unlike that of a meerkat. "What did you just say?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at him, slightly taken aback.

"Uh, resplendence? Why?"

The Uchiha snagged the paper from him, eyes widening as he read the word himself. "…where have I heard this word before…?"

* * *

A/N: Like always, review if you want an update.


	2. AIM for the heart

A nervous pencil tapped on the kitchen desk as two stern eyes bore into the top of the boys head. Both onyx hues stared down at the paper before him.

Y equals two x squared divided by…two x… two x exp?

Sasuke shook his head suddenly, realizing he had read the same problem over at least ten times now. He was getting no where. His focus drifted so constantly nowadays he couldn't keep his mind with him to even read a math problem. He had been sitting here for almost two hours with his father watching him, arms folded, and seated in that same position, unblinking, as stone cold and unmoving as a rock.

Every once and a while the boy would blink up at his father then avert his eyes just as quickly to check if he was still staring at him. He almost always was. Wasn't it impossible to work with someone watching you?

Sasuke swallowed, tapping his pencil faster. He knew no matter how long they sat here his homework wouldn't get done. He was already letting his guild down by being offline. Slowly, the graphite at the tip began to fade into the form of a negative one on his paper. It was a guess, for sure. He hadn't even read the question nor had he written any other work down to solve it.

The scratching of chair legs against the tile floor caused the boy to look up, seeing his father get to his feet and silently leave the room. Had that satisfied him? Sasuke blinked, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he flipped it open, reading the text he had received from Naruto.

_Did you do your project yet?_

Sasuke blinked. What project? Oh…right. _That_ project.

_uh no. i forgot._

It was an honest reply. He couldn't think of anything else to say anyways. He didn't really have to look up what the word meant anyways. He knew celerity meant speed.

_Oh my gosh. You're gonna fail! Go do some work, teme. Love yew. *chu*_

Sasuke blushed slightly, brows furrowing in annoyance at the text on the small screen.

_yeah whatever._

The Uchiha got to his feet, giving the room a glance before, literally, running to his room, only to get stopped at the door by his mother.

"Don't you have homework to do?"

Sasuke bit his lip. "Yeah, but I have research to do on the internet for a project." It was the truth. His mother smiled at him, nodding.

"Alright. Go on."

She had believed it? It almost seemed too easy. Sasuke twitched a lip in a half-smile at her before rushing into his room, throwing his books on his bed and jumping into the black spinny-chair at his computer. As the Windows Vista took it's sweet time booting up, the Uchiha felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

_Come on AIM. I'm bored!_

As much as Sasuke wanted to ignore the blonde, he couldn't bring himself to not text back.

_no. i'm busy._

Short and to the point. That's how he texted. Besides, he was slow at texting, so short worked well for him. Unlike Sasuke, though, Naruto was much faster at texting back.

_Okay, actually…I kinda forgot what we had to do for our project and I figured it'd be easier to explain through IM so pleeeease?? Just sign on as invisible._

A twitch befell the boy's right eye as he flipped his phone shut, huffing in aggravation and looking up to his monitor, which was now fading from black to his desktop image. Though, it always took another hundred billion minutes to load all the settings and fire walls his father had installed when they got it. Glancing back down to the text, he sighed once more.

_fine_

As the Uchiha watched the screen load, he bit his lower lip in anticipation till everything had booted into it's correct place. Eagerly, the boy clicked on the Crisis Code icon on his desktop, proceeding to click on the AIM icon he so rarely used as well.

"Yes…yes!" The boy smiled slightly as he clicked start game when the packages had all loaded then, not near as enthusiastically, clicked the sign on as invisible button to AIM. "Come on, come on…" Anxiously, he tapped his finger, only to let out a growl when Naruto IMed him, slowing down the process of connecting to the server.

_Heeeey x3 So what do we have to do? o.o Cuz I really don't remember._

Sasuke shook his head, barely remembering the instructions himself.

_just research the word and talk about it its not that hard_

The small smile returned as the Uchiha noticed the screen load in window mode to Crisis Code. Immediately, he hit g, the shortcut key to his guild list, to check who was online. "Resplendence…Resplendence…" A sudden pang to his heart sent the boy, who was formerly sitting upright in his chair, back into a leaning position of defeat. "…he's not online…" He whispered gently, pursing his lips.

_Ooooh. Okay! Thank yew Sasuke-kun~! *chu!* Btw, whatcha doing? I'm bored!_

He knew it. Naruto knew what he was supposed to do. The kid just wanted someone to talk to out of boredom. And who better to harass than Uchiha Sasuke, of course? A groan was forced past the boy's lips.

_crisis code... what the hell else would i be doing?_

The apathy of his rhetorical inquiry held a sullen innuendo of annoyance in it's depths. And Naruto took quick notice.

_Uh, okay, sorry I asked. What's your problem?_

Sasuke huffed, figuring he was tired of the boy already and decided not to respond, checking his guild list once more, only to see a tiny IM box at the bottom corner of his MMO screen.

_**Resplendence says **__Hey, you! :3 Wanna grind? I just bought a level 22 party and need a partner._

Sasuke smiled slightly, allowing his hopes to be raised tenfold and ignoring the blinking orange tab at the bottom of his monitor.

_um sure but u wont get exp remember? where at?_

_**Resplendence says **__Haha, silly I don't mind if I dont get exp if it means I can help a new guild member level. :3 We've gotta get our guildies to high levels so we can keep our position in the top ranks of guild wars. n.n Besides, I don't mind spending time with you. :3 Since we never got around to it yesterday, just meet me at Tabitha Town and auto-follow like I said, okay?_

Sasuke couldn't help but let a light blush touch his cheeks. A high level player like this didn't mind spending time with a newbie like him…it made his heart tingle.

As he began typing a response to the other, a pop up at the bottom right hand corner of his monitor caught his eye.

_Sasuke? You there?_

Annoyance flooded him while he clicked the orange box, reading what the blonde had typed before that.

_You don't have to take out your pissy attitude on me, damnit._

Wishing he had ignored the boy, he typed a quick 'no, I'm not here' to the other before going back to reply to his fellow guild member.

…_ok._

He hadn't meant to add the ellipses at the front. Yet, it just seemed to happen. It flowed, it was habit. Besides, he never even noticed till after he sent it so there wasn't a thing he could do about it anyways. Biting his lip, he began to run his character to Tabitha Town, hoping the other hadn't noticed. But, of course, with luck like his, nothing would go as he wanted it to.

_**Resplendence says **__Are you okay? D:_

Sasuke growled, cursing his luck as he asked why he did this to himself in a near silent hiss of a whisper.

_im fine sry…just talking to someone on aim that's making me …idk. sry._

The words were jumbled and disoriented, yet the spilling of syllables onto the screen made it more comprehensible than his mind was thinking it out to be.

_**Resplendence says **__Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. If you wanna talk, we can. I know you don't know me and I don't know you but I feel like we have a kind of connection…maybe because we both live in Shibuya? :3 Lol. But you have an AIM? n.n So do I! Add me. :D My username is xSilverScarecrow. It'd be easier to talk there than here so we wouldn't have to press enter at the end of every sentence ya'know? Hehe. That way we can talk off-game, too! :3!_

Sasuke perked up a bit. Somehow, the other made him feel so warm; a polar opposite to the empty, forgotten, betrayed chill he felt on a daily basis. Though he normally spoke to no one but Naruto over AIM and rarely logged on, he figured he could make a habit of it if it meant being able to talk to the other.

_okay i added u_

There was a pause before Sasuke typed up something else. 'I feel like we have a connection, too…I wish I could talk to you, but-' The boy didn't get past that word before erasing it entirely and staring over, taking a deep breath.

_im in tabitha town where r u?_

He had only just sent it before he saw the other's character; a slender male priest in snow white and cerulean blue robes, a glowing halo around his light purple chest-length hair, bangs covering the two emerald green orbs. His wand and robes were glowing from a plus ten upgrade, which was also near impossible to obtain, and a small white kitty followed him around; a pick up pet for items, since the game didn't have auto-pick up. "Wow…" The syllable was breathed almost inaudibly past his lips.

_**Resplendence says **__I see you. :3_

Sasuke had forgotten the other could see him and sprang back slightly in alarm, realizing how plain and n00b-like his character must look in comparison to the other's. His simple black hair and red eyes and unupgraded level 35 npc-bought rogue outfit was nothing special. A hue of pink stained his cheeks as he swallowed, fingers shaking over the keys.

_ur character is amazing…_

It was all he could type in his dazed stupor.

_**Resplendence says **__Haha. n.n Why, thank you! Ready to grind? :3 Auto-follow me!_

Sasuke barely had time to click the option before he was being pulled along through back routes till they reached a spawn of level 60 mobs. The Uchiha blinked, frowning at his level in comparison to the levels they were by as the other began to buff him.

_um…im only lvl 38..._

Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched his stats soar with the high-level buffs he was receiving.

_**Resplendence says**__ I know. n.n Now go kill. :3 Don't worry about healing, I've got that covered! AoE to your hearts content! Go, go, go!_

The Uchiha bit his lower lip, knowing the penalty for death was a loss of 10 percent exp that would take hours to get back. Putting his trust in another was something hard for him to do, yet, however many doubts he had, he found it abnormally easy to push them aside and collect a mob of over 20 level 60 creatures. The boy paused for a moment and watched his hp flicker like a seizure; the sporadic up and down movements of the numbers from being attacked, crit'd, and healed was mesmerizing to him. He couldn't believe he wasn't dead yet. Pressing the button for his AoE attack, the boy 1-hit-KOed the many monsters.

Both onyx hues shot open. "No way…he was right…?"

_**Resplendence says **__See? n.n Look at your exp. :3 Hehe._

Sasuke blinked. From a normal mob, around an 8 percent increase was to be expected. From this, his exp had shot up from 23.86 to 53.24.

_oh my god!! i got almost 30 percent!!_

A smile traced Sasuke's lips, parting them to reveal pearly white teeth. It was rare he had a moment he smiled like such, but the rapid increase in exp caused a euphoria to warm the length of him. With exp like this, he'd level in no time at all!

This continued for another half hour till the boy had reached level 42 and exp was becoming harder to obtain.

_**Resplendence says**__ Okay, if it's alright with you, let's do this every day we're both on and you'll be up in the ranks in no time! Tomorrow, we'll move to level 63's, okay? n.n But, now I've got to log off. Talk to me on AIM? ;3_

Sasuke nodded to his computer as though the other could see him.

_yes! yes yes yes! and sure i will. see u on aim._

No sooner had the two logged off were they speaking to each other once more.

**xSilverScarecrow (9:15:07 PM) **_Hey! Okay, so I've really been wondering, what's your name?_

Sasuke knew not to give his name out to strangers. He had always been taught that. Yet, something in him told him it was alright this time. That everything would be okay. That he could trust this person…

**QuothTheRaven (9:15:22 PM) **_sasuke_

**xSilverScarecrow (9:15:28 PM) **_Sasuke-kun, hm? n-n That's a cute name. :3_

The Uchiha waited for a moment, wondering if the other would tell him his name as well. Yet, after a full minute without seeing the 'such and such is typing' at the bottom of the IM, the boy couldn't help but type up the inquiry himself.

**QuothTheRaven (9:16:01 PM) **_so do i get to kno ur name…?_

**xSilverScarecrow (9:16:04 PM) **_Just call me Laharl. :3_

Just call…? Did that mean that was his real name or what he was known as? Come to think of it, Laharl sounded strikingly familiar, yet the boy couldn't place his finger on it. Biting his lower lip, Sasuke decided even if he wanted to, he couldn't be pushy enough to force the other for an answer.

**QuothTheRaven (9:16:28 PM) **_ok_

It was all he could say. Pathetic, he knew. But there wasn't a single other thing he could think of.

**xSilverScarecrow (9:16:48 PM) **_So how old are you?_

**QuothTheRaven (9:16:53 PM) **_um 14 u?_

**xSilverScarecrow (9:17:00 PM) **_23. I hope that doesn't scare you off. : (_

Sasuke blinked suddenly. Twenty three? He didn't act twenty then. But, then, maybe he did. The emoticons threw him off, though. He always wondered why people used smileys. Putting mini faces into phrases didn't make much sense to the Uchiha. Why not just say what you mean in the first place?

**QuothTheRaven (9:17:34 PM) **_no_

**xSilverScarecrow (9:17:42 PM) **_Okay, good. :3__So tell me about this friend of yours that was upsetting you earlier._

Sasuke hesitated slightly, biting his lower lip. It was rare he spoke of Naruto to other people and especially rare he spoke of his feelings at all.

**QuothTheRaven (9:17:52) **_its nothing…he was just being annoying. hes always annoying. he may be my friend but i really hate him sometimes…he never knows when to shut the fuck up. hell he never shuts up…and he says everything wrong at the wrong times so its nothing…just normal stupidity_

It was possibly the longest IM he had ever written in his life and his heart was thumping avidly in his chest, a nervousness arising at admitting something so personal.

**xSilverScarecrow (9:18:02 PM) **_Aww. Poor thing. : ( Though, it kind of sounds to me like you like him. o.o Maybe._

Sasuke thought nothing of it and shrugged.

**QuothTheRaven (9:18:05 PM) **_yeah guess i mean he is my friend i guess…._

**xSilverScarecrow (9:18:14 PM) **_Well, yes, of course, but I was actually talking about it...a different way.. n-n; Eheh._

The Uchiha blinked, eyes widening as his mind began to reel. Like Naruto? Like, like like Naruto? There was no way! They had grown up together. They were just best friends. Flustered, Sasuke began to type back quickly, only to be stopped mid-sentence to click the x on an update pop-up that had sprung up at the bottom right hand corner of his monitor.

**QuothTheRaven (9:18:32 PM) **like naruto?? no fucking way! i hate him! the idiot can go die for all i care…

It wasn't the truth, but he wanted to make himself quite clear it wasn't denial he was experiencing nor was he lying. Chest heaving with the embarrassment such a statement had caused, he looked away for a moment, not wanting to see an answer from the other. It was true, he really did like-like Naruto…but it was just a childhood crush. A crush that caused his heart to lurch every time he saw the other… After thinking for a moment, he turned back to the screen, wanting to add 'besides, we're just friends' onto his argument. Though, what he read on the screen was not the black and green script of Laharl, but the bright orange font of Naruto.

**RamenHokageXoX (9:18:52 PM) **_…what?_

Sasuke felt his breath catch in his throat, his entire body freezing in paralysis. He had clicked the wrong IM tab.


	3. Drowning the Pain

Sasuke didn't respond to anyone after his epic mistake that night. He had signed off, skipped dinner, and stayed silent in a corner of his room while his parents and brother pestered him to have "family time" like normal. Because, of course, family time was essential to being a family.

Morning came not long after and the boy's alarm went off at 5:30 like it did every day. Wearily, he pushed the snooze button and crawled back under his covers, wondering if he could fake sick today. Anything but face Naruto…He had turned his phone off, too, in case the blonde texted him.

Sasuke closed his eyes, hoping to go back to sleep. As he closed his eyes, the small rainbow dots of darkness danced beneath his eyelids till they faded into a nightmare of yells from Naruto at him. A small groan passed his lips as he tightened his fists on his blankets.

"Sasuke, do you have my red boxers?"

The bright, early-morning hall lights beamed a rectangular path into Sasuke's room as Itachi barged through the door, not hesitating to go through his younger brother's drawers looking for said lost object. Sasuke bit his lower lip, letting out a forced, weak cough.

"Get up, you're gonna be late for school at this rate." Itachi mumbled, cocking a brow at a pair of tight, rainbow undies.

Sasuke growled to himself silently before forcing a stronger cough out, as though to make his point.

"I know you're not sick. Get up."

Before the boy had a chance to retaliate, the warmth that was his covers was stripped from him; a cold, icy flood of air rushing to his body and causing him to curl up, shivering. "Itachi!!" He cried. A weight pushed the side of his bed down as his older brother sat beside him, laying a hand on his head.

"Why're you trying to skip out? You're gonna fail at this rate." Though his voice held little concern, it was a inquiry of curiosity. After a pause, Sasuke shook his head. He wouldn't tell something so personal to his oh-so-impersonal brother. "Well, look," The elder Uchiha started. "If you wanna skip, I can help you. Just get dressed and I'll drop you off someplace on the way to work, so you can ride with me today. Just don't come home or get caught."

Sasuke blinked up at his older brother, surprised by the compassion he was showing. Then, it hit him. "You just want me to fail, don't you…"

Itachi smiled, rubbing his little brother on his head like a dog. "Get dressed. We're leaving in twenty minutes. I'll tell mom I'm driving you." As soon as the other had found his boxers, Itachi was out of the room and back down the hall to his. Sasuke huffed avidly, jumping out of bed and getting dressed as quickly as he could before going into the bathroom to spend the most time possible on his perfect raven hair. Though he didn't normally spend much time getting ready in the morning and lacked the focus to actually perfect his look whilst being tired, the boy decided he felt like looking pretty today. Grabbing the eyeliner he so rarely used, he applied a layer around his onyx hues in a cat-like formation, parting his hair to one side and spiking it in the back like normal before brushing his teeth and smoothing out his black school uniform.

"Oh, and bring a change of clothes so you can change later in the day so the police don't think you're skipping." Itachi mumbled, popping his head in for a second five minutes before they had to leave. Sasuke blinked. It was so obvious, but he hadn't thought of it.

"Wait, Itachi…what'm I gonna do about calling into school? You know they call home if a parent doesn't phone in an excuse…"

Itachi waved a hand at the younger Uchiha. "Don't worry 'bout it. I got it covered."

Five minutes later, the two were in Itachi's black 2010 Mustang GT and speeding down the road, the elder Uchiha conversing loudly on the phone with his girlfriend.

'How do they even talk this early in the morning?' Sasuke wondered, normally not able to even say more than a few slurred words at 6:10am. Suddenly, Itachi swerved into a back road, flipping his cell shut and pulling to a halt, dialing another number. Sasuke blinked. "What are you doing?"

"Shh." The elder of the two whispered, putting a finger to his lips as the phone rang. The boy cleared his throat as a woman's voice sounded on the other end. "Uh, hello, this is Mr. Uchiha calling in to report my son, Sasuke, will be out sick today." Sasuke blinked at the perfect imitation of their father. It was, indeed, perfect…too perfect. "Yes, yes, that's fine. Thank you very much, it is greatly appreciated. Goodbye." Hanging up, Itachi looked to his younger brother, a smirk on his face. "You're good, kid. Now go someplace. I've gotta get to work."

"You did that a lot when you were my age, didn't you?" Sasuke wondered aloud, pondering how he had perfected their fathers voice so well.

"I've got his signature down, too. Now go on."

Sasuke shrugged and got out of the car. "Thanks." He muttered, before Itachi three-point-turned to get out of the side road and sped off once more. Looking around, he realized he was on a road parallel to the highway to his school. Strangely enough, he had never even noticed this road till now. Even at 6 in the morning, Shibuya was already well-alive and flowing with cars and lighting up the dark, early morning sky with fluorescent rainbow lights from stores. It was almost like a night-life, except filled with people and school kids rushing around in suits and uniforms to get to their destination. Sighing, he realized this wasn't going to be as easy as it looked, cops roaming the streets at seemingly every turn.

Running into the deeper part of the back road and jumping down beneath a conveniently placed bridge, the boy changed out of his school uniform and into something much more comfortable. To the discretion of his father, the boy's visual kei style was something far from what he should be wearing. Clothing was always the topic of argument in the Uchiha household.

Sasuke thought of this slightly as he pulled on the black and red shirt, ripped at the top to drape down past his collar bone and over his shoulder, revealing the top of his chest and bony shoulders every so slightly, only pulling so far as to right above his belly button, revealing a midriff and the bones of his hips, where his tight, ripped smoky grey skinny jeans only reached right below them; two belts around his waist, one in the loops, one sliding sideways on his hips for decoration. After pulling on two striped elbow-length fingerless gloves, the boy pulled on both skin-tight buckle-up leather platform boots and proceeded by carelessly stuffing his school uniform into his bag. There was still a full hour before school started at 8, so he was free to roam around till then, and took full advantage of it, liking the stares and swoons from girls he got when he passed them by a little too much. It was true, Sasuke liked attention. Not just liked, loved. And he'd do almost anything to get it.

* * *

Almost a full half hour of roaming the streets and the boy was already bored, seeing as no shop was open nor did he have any money. A club or two would be nice. He had never been drunk before, but had always wanted to try it. Not to mention the idea of drugs seemed to be becoming more and more appealing to him. He knew there was one or two places in Shibuya that catered to minors. Itachi had showed him when he was little. Yet, he still had a few hours to wait till they were open. Sighing, Sasuke allowed himself to slide down the wall of a shop, taking a seat on the sidewalk to watch the passerby. Subconsciously, the boy allowed himself to lean on the bench beside him, only then realizing just how tired he was. The warmth of the slowly rising sun was only enforcing this feeling and amplifying it till the boy found his eyelids to be ten pounds heavier, forcing him to shut them as his breathing slowed and the dull roar of city-life lulled him to sleep.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun?" The Uchiha awoke with a start as he felt a gentle hand nudge him for the umpteenth time, his name no longer a mumble in his dream but a concerned strain of voice at his side; a voice he recognized, but only just barely. Wide awake now, both broad onyx orbs veered to the left, only to stare blurrily into two silver-tinted ebony hues, then shoot open in alarm with recognition of the presence beside him.

"S-sensei…?" He choked in astonishment, a cold flood of alarm paralyzing him to the spot. Suddenly, he wondered aloud; "Wh-what time is it?!"

Kakashi looked at him, brow furrowed with concern before glancing down at his watch. "Almost 7:30..." He sighed, cocking a head at the boy. "What are you doing out here? It's almost time for class." Though the man masked it with professional reasoning, the distress dripping from his syllables was hardly transparent. Sasuke blushed slightly, looking to the side. How could he have fallen asleep? How could he have been so careless? The boy stayed silent, pursing his lips. There was no way he could tell his teacher he was skipping school. A sigh escaped Kakashi's lips, holding a hand out to the boy. "Come on, let me give you a ride to school." Could Sasuke protest? No, of course not. Placing a gloved hand in the other's, he was pulled to his feet and whisked into the man's impressive silver Nissan 350z. How a teacher could afford a car like that was beyond Sasuke.

Staying silent in the passenger seat, Kakashi looked over at him as he put the keys in the ignition, revving the engine to life. As he rested a hand on the gear shift, he sighed once more. "Are you alright?" He asked, not moving the car out of park quite yet. Sasuke chanced a glance at him, meeting eyes for a second before averting them out the window to take an abnormal interest in the yellow and white lines of the road. He knew the man wouldn't be satisfied without an answer, so he gave a subtle nod, hoping he had seen. The boy heard the man take a breath, clearly attempting to push aside his aggravation. It was easy to tell he didn't have patience for these kinds of things. Shifting the car into drive, the sleek car merged with oncoming traffic and began it's path to the school grounds.

The awkward silence made Sasuke shrink into himself uncomfortably in the seat, allowing his raven bangs to cover his face as much as possible. He and the professor barely knew each other. They had never spoken in private. And with college-like teaching styles, Kakashi wasn't one to be personal with students. Sasuke was even surprised he had known his name.

"…you can tell me, you know."

A low murmur from the driver's seat caused Sasuke to look up submissively, parting his lips slightly. Almost immediately after, he turned away once more, shrugging.

"…th…there's nothing to tell…" He stuttered, voice almost inaudible.

A quick jerk sent the car into a sharp turn and pulled into a parking space in the depths of an abandoned parking lot. Sasuke blinked, startled, then looked to the man driving in alarm who pushed the gear shift into park and looked over to him, locking eyes with a dead-set stare of stern aura. "Don't think I haven't noticed your grades suddenly dropping from A's to D's and F's, not to mention you've been acting so apathetic lately it's almost irksome. None of your homework gets turned in and I can almost state the fact that you didn't do your project last night, did you?"

Sasuke sat back in his seat in alarm, swallowing hard at the sudden accusations from his professor. In all truth, he had forgotten the project till now. It seemed so easy to forget homework nowadays. Though, before he could respond, Kakashi continued.

"You were also planning on skipping school today, weren't you?" He asked, eyeing the boys outfit then his bag full of crumpled school clothing. Sasuke blushed slightly, looking down as though he didn't care and shrugged, unsure of how else to respond. Kakashi huffed lightly, throwing his arms on the wheel. "…what's going on with you, Sasuke?" He asked lightly, eyeing him from his peripheral.

A heated feeling in his chest caused Sasuke to clench his fists, building up the nervous energy he had circulating him to show a sign of dominance. "…let me out…" He whispered, lower jaw quivering. Kakashi looked at him silently for a moment before responding.

"And how will you know I won't tell administration you're skipping?"

Sasuke stiffened noticeably before making up his mind. "I don't care." He decided, voice a monotone slue of apathetic whispers.

There was another pause of silence as the boy awaited an answer, mouth dry with anticipation.

"Don't get caught." A deeper version of monotone reached the boys ears, causing him to look up in alarm at his professor, lips parted. "And be careful."

As the boy slowly exited the car, Kakashi gave him a stern look, chilling him to the bone. He was serious, Sasuke could tell. As the silver 350z drove off, the boy let out a sigh of relief; though, said relief was most definitely short-lived. Sasuke placed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart thumping rapidly. He hadn't felt so flustered in a long time. Before setting off once more, the boy took a deep breath, unsuccessfully attempting to calm himself.

* * *

"I'm home." Itachi called, throwing his jacket on the coat rack and taking his shoes off before entering the house around 7pm. Though he normally got home around 6, today had been a rather long day.

"Is he with you?" The eldest male in the house growled, coming around the corner to look Itachi straight in the eye.

"Huh?" Itachi asked suddenly, cocking a brow. "Who?"

"Who do you think!? Your little brother, that's who!" The man yelled. Itachi blinked suddenly.

"Fugaku, calm down. Just calm down." The man's wife hissed, brow seemingly permanently in a crinkle of concern.

"Sasuke's not home yet?" Itachi asked, surprised. Mikoto shook her head sullenly.

"No…"

"That's it, I'm calling the police."

"No! Sweetheart, wait. Just wait till tomorrow, please. Don't get them involved." The women begged, pulling at her husband desperately. The man thought for a moment before sighing aggravatedly.

"…one day. That's all he gets. If he's not back by tomorrow, I swear I'll-"

Itachi stopped listening at this point, looking back towards the door. 'Where the hell are you, Sasuke…if you don't come back and they find out, I'll be in trouble, too, damnit.'

* * *

Quite a few hours later, Kakashi clicked the x on his GradePro program after imputing more than a few grades for all of his classes. He looked at the clock as the computer's electronic whirring began to quiet itself, shutting down. Almost midnight. He couldn't believed he had stayed here so long. Around 9, even the janitor had given him the keys, telling him to lock up behind himself when he left. Though, he had to admit, he had gotten much done. He had finally accomplished cleaning out his desk, grading three sets of tests, and grading all four classes projects. Not to mention he had typed up and made copies of worksheets for his classes to do for homework tomorrow.

It felt almost eerie walking the halls this late at night. As he turned out all the lights, locked the doors, and left the keys in the secret spot where the janitor kept them normally, the man stretched, feeling exhausted from all the work he had done today. Yet, it was the weekend now. He had Saturday and Sunday left to rest up, in his opinion. A smile creased his lips as he unlocked his car, fully ready to get back home and crash on the couch of his apartment.

Several minutes later, a growl touched his vocals at his road still being closed from road work. Turning off to take the detour, he sighed, turning on his brights to keep dark back road lit up. He never preferred this road. The prostitutes and rapists crowding the clubs around the sidewalk always gave him a rather uncomfortable and unsafe feeling, especially this late at night.

As the speed limit decreased to 10mph in a residential zone, the man slowed to 15 and looked out the windows, taking note of the skanky, fake-boobed women lining the sidewalks and blowing kisses to him. Shaking his head, the man sped up slightly, the uncomfortable feeling increasing, till a pack of people caught his eye, causing him to slow once more.

Attempting to find sight into the pack of teens in a circle on the street corner, smoking, talking, laughing, drinking… the man caught a glimpse of the gorgeous raven colouring he desired so much, bathed in the dim light of the fluorescent yellow-ish hue of a street lamp. Slamming on the breaks, the car slid to a stop.

"Sasuke!?" He gasped, eyes widening as he saw his student, cheeks tinted a deep shade of pink from alcohol and a wide smile across his face standing, laughing, and smoking with the pack of them on the side, a bottle of beer in his hand. Kakashi didn't get out right away, jaw slightly ajar at the sight of the boy struggling to stand on his own two feet down a shot of something hard given to him, causing him to sway backwards, almost falling over entirely. An irate growl surfaced on the man's lips as he got out of the car, slamming the door without bothering to take the key from the ignition.

Sasuke didn't take notice to the man till he was practically on top of him, picking him up off the ground and into his arms. The world did a flip, every word being yelled echoing in his mind as he buried his head in the man's chest, nuzzling drunkenly to get the loud noises to go away. He hadn't a clue what was happening. A shattering crash alerted him slightly and he allowed his head to fall to the side, looking down at the blurry view of a broken beer bottle at Kakashi's feet. Slowly, he lifted his hand up only to notice the beer bottle he had been holding wasn't in his hand anymore. Looking past his hand, he noticed the street lamp he had formerly been under was slowly beginning to move away. Reaching out to it, he grabbed at air. "Wait…come'ack." Sasuke slurred gently, feeling himself falling slightly to the side out of the man's arms before he was readjusted and snuggly positioned against the man's chest, being carried bridal style to the parked car on the corner of the street.

As the boy was thrown into the passenger seat, a mere second passed before Kakashi was in the drivers seat, revving the engine as he pulled it into drive and sped up to at least 50mph in the small residential zone. Sasuke looked sideways to the other, who's stern eyes were fixated on the road in front of him, knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. It was the last sight he saw before a sickening feeling took him over and the view he was seeing faded to black.

* * *

A/N: As always, review if you want an update.


	4. The Calm Before The Storm

Two hues of onyx blinked open slowly. The blurry view of a closet bathed in darkness was tempted to come into view as the beholder of said orbs forced himself to keep both eyes open. A small noise between a whimper and a groan surfaced on his lips as he tried to roll over, a splitting-headache causing him to stop and tug at his hair; a sickening feeling tilting the world to the right as he did so. The darkness of the room and the cool air from the fan felt good, but it wasn't enough. The boy swallowed, a shiver running the length of him from the sickness he was enduring.

"Sasuke?"

A familiar voice inquired rhetorically into the darkness as the door to the room he was in being pushed open and the fluorescent lighting he knew so well came into view atop him, causing his headache to worsen. Sasuke let out a whimper, entire body shaking in pain. The one opening the door must have noticed this, for they had taken care to shut the door quickly enough. "Itachi…?" Sasuke rasped into the silence as a weight sat down on the bed beside him.

"Here, sit up, drink this."

The boy felt a hand press on his back as he was, most literally, lifted into a sitting position, leaning against the other as he was fed sips of water from a glass.

"You're such a fucking idiot, you know that?" A long pause before this had his brother popping two advil into Sasuke's mouth. "Not only did you get caught, you got caught by your own damn teacher _completely_ drunk. You are such a fucking idiot." Itachi repeated, laying a hand on his younger brothers head and petting him slowly. Sasuke attempted to turn and look at him, but soon learned he wasn't in control of his body quite yet.

"Huh…?" Was all he could think of to say. He couldn't remember anything of last night; especially not the fact he had been caught by a teacher. "Who?"

The boy felt Itachi sigh at his side. "Doctor Hatake Kakashi." He elaborated, throwing his syllables up and down in a mock-elegance. The boy's eyes widened as his body stiffened.

"Ka-Kakashi?" He stuttered, swallowing. "N-no way…" It was his worst nightmare. Of all the teachers that had had to find him…Kakashi? "Wait…this is…?" He started, looking around himself to realize he was in none other than his own bedroom.

"He brought you home around 1am this morning. Needless to say, mom was in an instant fit of tears and dad was cursing up a storm. Not to mention I had to carry your drunken ass all the way up the damn stairs to bed. For someone who's so damn scrawny, you're awfully heavy, you know."

Sasuke felt heat touch his cheeks as the pigments merged into a coral pink on the surface. His nightmare was beginning to worsen. His mom and dad knew, and if Itachi had to carry him, there was no doubt Kakashi had carried him as well. The boy felt himself shrink into himself slightly at the thought of being in his teacher's arms. Though, try as he may, he couldn't resurface a single memory of the night prior.

"Get dressed, it's almost dinner time, you know. You slept all day." Itachi commanded, laying the boy back down in bed slowly and getting up to traipse across the room and out the door. Sasuke attempted to sit up in protest.

"What day is it?" He started in a panic. "I can't go down there! Tell mom and dad I'm sleeping still…I can't-"

"Oh stop being a pussy." Itachi huffed. "You gotta face them some time. Besides, it's your fault you got caught." The elder Uchiha paused at the door, thinking for a moment. "…it's Saturday." He finally said before walking out without another word.

Sasuke let out a groan. The last thing he wanted to do was face his parents, yet, as much as he didn't want to admit it, Itachi was right. He had to face them sometime. As he began to get out of bed, his knees almost immediately gave out below him. The boy let out a half-shriek as he collided with the floor, tears forming at the edges of his eyes as he bit his lower lip, brows furrowing in pain.

Sasuke laid there for a moment, allowing the world a chance to stop spinning, before he pushed himself up once more, swaying side to side as he did so. Both hands grasped the bed for support, pushing himself fully up. He hadn't a clue how he was going to make it down the stairs to dinner. As he made his way over to the closet, a shining black object caught his eye; his Windows Vista. It was only then all the memories that had caused him to do this flooded back to him.

"Naruto…" He whispered, suddenly remembering what he had done. Desperately, the boy stumbled over to his top drawer, searching through it till he found his phone. Whence spotting the small turquoise Samsung Juke, the Uchiha turned it on for the first time in days, having forgotten he had been avoiding Naruto. As he allowed the little phone time to turn itself on, he slowly went about clumsily getting himself dressed, then proceeded to look over as the phone began vibrating endlessly with all the texts he was receiving; majority of them from Naruto, he assumed. A pang struck him in his chest as he realized all of these texts would probably hurt.

Reluctantly, the boy sat down on his bed before pulling a shirt on and began to read them…all eighteen of them.

_Sasuke? Are you coming back online?_

_Where are you?_

_What was that all about…?_

…

_Do you really hate me?…_

_You're not answering…am I left to assume what my mind is thinking…?_

…_answer me…_

…_okay….I get it…sorry I ever tried to be your friend…_

_Don't talk to me…ever again._

_I'll just cut it off right here…I'll make it easier for you and block you on AIM…_

_I'm sorry I can't transfer to a different school…Jiraiya said I couldn't till next year…so you're going to have to put up with being in the same classes for the rest of the year. I'm sorry._

……

_But I'll transfer out next year, I promise so you don't have to put up with me, okay?_

…_Sasuke?_

…_you really are ignoring me, aren't you…_

_Are you coming to school today…?_

Sasuke looked at the date, suddenly realizing Naruto had sent this one Friday morning.

…_guess not…_

_I'm probably wasting your texts aren't I…sorry…I'll stop here…_

It was the last message he had sent before a message from Lee, one of Naruto's good friends.

_Is Naruto-kun okay? =/ He seemed kind of off today and you weren't here so I was just wondering…it saddens me to see such youthful glows dulled, you know? I guess you're sick huh? FEEL BETTER!!_

Sasuke clenched his teeth, throwing his phone across the room and curling up on his bed, grabbing his pillow and burying his face in it to suffocate the oncoming sobs. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…!" He choked, clenching his fists around the fabric tighter. "I'm sorry!"

Waiting for what seemed like five seconds, the boy looked up slightly, face stained with tears from the past actual five minutes of hysterical sobs. He sniffed gently, hoping it was just the alcohol that was making him cry like this. He was an Uchiha…Uchiha's didn't cry. Not in this household. Slowly, the boy got to his feet, padding across the room in a zombie-like stasis till he reached his phone, picking it up between his shaking fingers.

"…I love you, damnit…" He whispered, wanting so badly to type the words and send them to his friend. Yet, everything in the world seemed to be against him at this point; even he was against himself.

"Sasuke, time for din-" Itachi started, opening the door. "Huh?" Noticing his brother off the bed, the elder of the two looked through the door to see a shirtless Sasuke standing and shivering in a corner, staring at the dimming screen of his phone as silent tears cascaded down his cheeks. Baffled for a moment, Itachi stood there, then silently exited the room, closing the door softly in his wake after mumbling; "Come down when you're feeling better so mom and dad don't yell at me too much…"

"Where's Sasuke?" A rather demanding voice sounded from Fugaku as Itachi descended the stairs. The younger male sat down in silence, dishing food onto his plate. The elder across from him creased his brow further. "Itachi. I will not ask you again."

"He's in his room."

The apathetic monotone of the boy's vocals caused their father's already irked atmosphere to intensify. "I told you to bring him down here for supper."

"He'll be down."

Mikoto looked between the two as she set a dish of rice on the table, pursing her lips as she did so. "Now, come on, boys, don't argue." She said softly. The stress in the Uchiha household was almost tangible.

"I'm not arguing. I'm demanding my son of an answer I rightfully need to know." The man growled, arms folded across his chest in his light blue evening yukata. Itachi silently spooned rice into his side bowl as his father stared him down. "Itachi. Go get Sasuk-"

"Shut up and eat, old man."

Mikoto dropped the spoon she was holding, causing a clatter to take hold of the silence as Fugaku's eyes widened.

"…what did you just say?"

Two onyx orbs opened defiantly towards his father. "I said, shut up and eat."

The kitchen seemed to freeze as both mother and father's jaws hung ajar in midst of the crude words. Itachi stared unblinkingly towards Fugaku for a moment, allowing a beat to pass before turning to Mikoto. "Will there be takayaki again, mother?"

* * *

Sasuke bit his lower lip for the umpteenth time, tasting blood. The advil he had taken was starting to make him drowsy but he knew he still had his parents to face. Not to mention if he left Itachi down there fending for him much longer he was sure their father would either skin Itachi alive or come up and carry him downstairs and chain him to the chair. A light breath passed his lips in a sigh as he got to his feet, having been sitting on the bed. Giving a glance to the phone beside him, as though waiting for another text from Naruto, a disappointment flooded him when the screen remained blank.

Swallowing the blood and saliva mixture in his mouth, the teen began his descent to the kitchen, not at all looking forward to what awaited him…

* * *

A/N: Thought I'd bless you all with a short chapter in comparison to those frightfully long ones prior to this. I swear I don't mean to write that much. But now I've got to leave for night school. Yay…not really. Maybe I'll write more when I return and get another chapter up in one night. That'd be strange, wouldn't it? Hmm.

Well, review if you want an update.


	5. Abandonment

"…and another thing, if you EVER dare to-!"

All yelling stopped as Sasuke entered the room. Though he had done so quietly, all three sets of eyes were still directly on him. After quickly averting his eyes from his parents, he looked apologetically to his brother, who bore a read mark across his cheek from obviously being slapped. Sasuke winced slightly, knowing that must have been his fault.

"Sit." Fugaku commanded as Mikoto took her place beside her husband at the square table in the center of the kitchen. Itachi, who had previously been standing, grumbled something hateful under his breath and reluctantly took his seat, shoving a chopstick-full of rice into his mouth and chewing on it angrily. Sasuke stared for a moment, not moving, till all three sets of eyes were on him once more, causing him to inch slowly to the table as the eyes followed him, a pressuring and uneasy aura about him. As he sat, Itachi glared at him.

"Surprised you could even make it down the fucking stairs." He hissed under his breath, clearly piqued. Sasuke bit his lip, tugging at the already torn flesh. Though he wanted to apologize, no such words could pass his mouth.

The next five minutes passed in silence as the eldest Uchiha kept his eyes dead-set on his youngest son while Mikoto and Itachi munched avidly, a near tangible air of discomfort swirling about them.

"Well?" Fugaku finally spoke, eyeing his youngest son from across the table. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Sasuke only then realized he had been sitting there for nearly ten minutes staring at his plate through a haze. As he blinked slowly up to his father, the teen shrugged gently, being careful not to give a direct no as an answer, but rather a tone of indifference.

Though he didn't look, Sasuke could feel the man's fists clench, his patience dwindling.

"If you're not going to eat, go to your room." The hypocritical innuendos slowly surfaced within the man's vocals. A shiver ran the length of the teen's body as something snapped in his mind.

"Why are you ignoring it!? Why can't you confront me!? Why aren't you yelling at me!? Yell at me, damnit! DO SOMETHING!" Sasuke's voice broke as his syllables raised to a desperate scream, hot tears burning the corners of his eyes. When no one said a word, the boy choked back a sob before shakily getting to his feet, bracing himself on the table. "…why won't you yell at me?" He whimpered weakly, nails scratching at the wood of the table. Calmly, Fugaku got to his feet.

"Why can't you just be more like your brother?"

The words cut into the boy, causing both eyes to widen as the tears stopped flowing. "Wha…" He breathed softly.

"Not only have you disgraced the family name to the fullest extent, you've disrespected your mother and I, and you have absolutely shattered the good habits we have worked so hard to instill in you from birth." Slow and articulate, the words fell from the man's mouth in a pattern of stern disappointment. Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. "Failing school, skipping class, wearing that god-awful clothing, and now drinking? I'm surprised you haven't dropped out and had a kid with a damn hooker!" As the man's amplitude and wording began to morph styles, Sasuke took a step back, swallowing. Fugaku narrowed his glare at the other. "A delinquent like you belongs on the streets. Get out."

"Fugaku!"

"Dad!"

Mikoto and Itachi both stood at once, panic stricken in both sets of eyes. The man didn't change his gaze, ignoring the two on the sidelines as the path between him and his youngest son was highlighted clearly.

Sasuke felt himself lose his breath, a lump caught in his throat as he stumbled backwards submissively, a pressure in his chest bearing down on his heart. As his mouth dried, the tears began to fall again, burning hot streaks down his cheeks.

_Why can't he just yell at me…like a normal parent…why can't he just ground me…where will I go…doesn't he care…? Why can't we just fight like a normal family!?_

"I'm sick of seeing your failing grades. And now this has just crossed the line and put it over the edge, Sasuke."

_No…no, don't say it…_

"I don't want to see your pathetic excuse of an existence till you've gotten your grades back up to A's and you've decided to be an adult instead of acting like the childish brat you are."

…_oh, god…stop it…stop it!_

"Sasuke…"

_No…_

"Get out of my sight."

* * *

Sasuke spent the next few hours in a daze beneath the fluorescent lighting of the city's street lamps. Shibuya did, indeed, have a busy nightlife, though the boy barely even noticed the slue of cars rushing past him as he padded along the sidewalk in stupor. Once or twice, he even found himself crossing streets on green lights only to realize it when cars would stop and honk their horns at him. He barely even recognized the foreign noises.

It seemed as though he had walked for miles, a bag over his shoulder with clothes, his phone, and his laptop. He hadn't even thought specifically of what to bring; yet those items stood out to him most as Itachi had sat silently beside him, helping him get things together.

It all seemed like a blur to him now as he passed beneath another street lamp, the muffled sound of loud, obnoxious laughter coming from bar rooms barely even registering in his mind. He hadn't a clue where his feet were taking him. All he knew was that this road seemed familiar to him.

He didn't find out where he was going till he ended up at Naruto's doorstep, buzzing the electronic doorbell with what little strength his shaking fingers had left.

"Coming…!" A voice sounded from far away. It sounded groggy, yet loud enough to be clearly annoyed. Sasuke glanced at his phone; 1:23am. Had he honestly spent that long wandering around aimlessly? Slowly, the boy's dazed onyx orbs turned back to the door as several locks clicked open, revealing strands of golden and hues of cerulean.

As their eyes met, Sasuke could no longer withhold the tears he had kept hidden for the past few hours.

"Naruto…"


	6. Scapegoat

Sasuke stared at the champagne coloured carpet in the living room, Naruto next to him on the couch, Jiraiya across from them in a rocker. The room was silent, almost too silent for Sasuke's liking. Though he preferred silence above all else, even a little noise would be comforting right now; a few words, some sympathy…anything. He had just finished telling the two what had happened in as minor detail as he could muster between sobs and shivers.

Attempting not to make noise, the boy sniffed, tears still burning trails down his cheeks. His fists were clenched in his lap, knuckles white from the pressure as he attempted to keep his body from shaking any harder than it already was. It was nearing 2am now. The boy caught a glance of Naruto from his peripheral, looking painfully over to him, though clearly not knowing what to do.

"Well…" Jiraiya started, sighing gently as both orbs looked tenderly on the teen. "You can stay here as long as you need, Sasuke. Between Naruto and I, we're making enough money to support all three of us."

Sasuke looked up slightly, brows furrowed above both bloodshot eyes.

"I've gotta get to sleep though, I need to get up in about four hours to go to work." As the man got to his feet, he glanced at Naruto for a moment then allowed a lingering gaze to set on Sasuke. "You can either sleep on the couch or with Naruto. He's got a king sized bed down there in the basement. Or we do have a guest bedroom in the loft, now that I think about it. Use what you like, Sasuke-chan. Goodnight, you two."

The Uchiha could only nod slightly, wanting to give thanks for such generosity, but couldn't seem to voice any words at the moment. He vowed to thank him later. Though he was exhausted to an impossible extent, he couldn't seem to get his body to move with Naruto sitting next to him still. The silence between them should have been awkward, but Sasuke's mind was so absorbed in racing thoughts the silence seemed to only exist, not bother. The boy's jaw quivered slightly as he attempted to force himself to stop crying. Naruto had only seen him cry once when they were kids. To see him like this must have been shocking. Not to mention it was embarrassing to Sasuke. How could he allow himself to be so open with such emotion? Swallowing, he sniffed once more, holding back the tears now as shallow breathing escaped his lips.

"…how about you sleep with me, tonight…?" A voice spoke softly at his side, near inaudible. The blonde was so loud normally it made him cringe to think what he must have been thinking. "I mean, in case you need anything…" He mumbled in addition when Sasuke didn't respond. Slowly, the raven-haired boy nodded, feeling the tears coming back and sucking in a sharp breath to keep himself from crying again. The things running through his mind had ceased, all but the constant reminder he needed to apologize to Naruto. Though, he knew if he spoke now his voice would break from lack of use. As he felt the weight beside him lessen, he looked up, seeing Naruto standing before him, hand held out to help him up.

For the first time, Sasuke felt small beneath the other.

Though he couldn't voice it aloud, his quivering lips formed the words of apology to the other in silence as their eyes met. Naruto simply nodded, not at all acting like himself. It caused the teen's brow to crease in confusion. Had he really hurt him that deeply?

Swallowing, he took the other's hand and allowed himself to be helped to his feet. The tight squeeze made Sasuke blink. Naruto had definitely gotten stronger. Had he been working out? Attempting to breath normally once more, the teen focused on more important matters, like walking, as they descended the stairs into the basement, where the blonde's room was.

"Meh, I don't really like it down here, you know, but it was the only place other than the loft that I could room in. And the loft's got no AC for the summer or heat for the winter, so I decided not to go up there." The idle chatter surfaced in Naruto's voice a beat higher than before, though not anywhere near the normal chipper level it was on a daily basis. Sasuke couldn't say anything. He didn't know what to say at this point. He couldn't tell whether Naruto was mad or hurt or just plain hated him. "Oh, uhh…ignore the mess." The blonde continued as he opened the door to his room, revealing piles of clothing and comic books littering the floor, an unfinished cup of instant ramen on his table beside his also unfinished homework.

For the second time this morning, Naruto looked directly at Sasuke, who looked up at him from beneath a shock of raven hued ebony. Both cerulean blue orbs held a stern inquiry within them.

"…are you gonna be okay?" The blonde asked slowly after a pause. The teen couldn't help but instinctively let both onyx hues drop the floor. No, he wasn't. Not yet. Not for a while. But how in the world could he say that to the other? Subconsciously, the boy nodded. Naruto forced a weak smile before sitting down on the bed and scooting over to the far side against the wall, still in a sitting position. "You wanna talk? I'm not really tired anymore…" A small laugh surfaced in the boy's vocals as he rubbed the back of his head, ruffling the already messy blonde locks. Sasuke looked around the room a moment, noticing the chalky white walls had splatter paint orange adorning them and not a single window was in sight. It was very opposite of what the boy had expected. In all truth, for as long as they had been friends, this was the first time Sasuke had ever been over to Naruto's house. In a way, it hurt the teen, wondering why he had never been allowed over before. Sure, he had been to the door to his house plenty of times, having been dragged along after school to walk with the boy to his house or to drop something off or something of the sort.

Attempting to act more like the Sasuke Naruto knew, he sat carelessly on the bed, throwing his things in a corner. "What good would talking do, dobe?" Though his words were normal in content, sure enough, his voice broke as predicted, despite the low whisper of a tone he used. Naruto smiled genuinely this time, hearing the atmosphere return to somewhat normal.

"Well what else is there to do?" Slowly, his smile faded. "Though, you're probably tired, aren't you?" He asked. Sasuke shrugged, suddenly not feeling all that tired anymore. Naruto shook his head. "Watch, you're gonna fall right asleep as soon as your head hit's the pillow. Go to sleep, teme." With two claps, the lights to his room clicked off and the two were bathed in darkness as Naruto fell back onto his bed, stretching out. Sasuke hesitated for a moment, staring at the blonde through the veil of darkness before allowing a small twitch of a smile to crease his expression. Things were gonna be okay.

Sure as it was, Sasuke found himself asleep the second he felt the pillow's soft fabric against the back of his head. Not even covering himself up for the night, he fell into a deep sleep; luckily, so deep that he wasn't even able to dream.

Today had finally come to an end.

* * *

Sasuke awoke the next day around 1pm, groggily opening both blurry eyes to the darkness of Naruto's room. Groaning, the boy sat up, a massive headache overtaking him. He always got headaches after crying. Looking around him, it wasn't till a few moments later he noticed Naruto wasn't there. Blinking, he looked to the door, noticing light flooding the floor from the crack. A sigh escaped his lips as he recalled the events of last night. Slowly, he slid out of bed, swaying slightly as his feet got their holding. He was always tired when he just woke up and it always made him uncoordinated. Making his way to the door, he hesitantly reached for the handle, only to twist it open and be blinded by sun from the windows in the hallway. Furrowing his brow as the light hit him, Sasuke inched his way down the hall, raven locks askew atop his head. As silently as he could, he made his way up the stairs, only to be welcomed by the scent of pancakes.

Looking to the right, he noticed Naruto there, flipping the materializing batter in a pan. Blinking, the blonde must have felt eyes on him for he looked over to meet orbs with Sasuke, who's gaze flickered to a more tender shade than the prior surprised one.

"G'mornin'." Naruto slurred, undoubtedly having woken up just minutes before the other. Sasuke nodded in reply, making his way to the blondes side.

"…it's 1 in the afternoon." He whispered, eyeing the pancakes. Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah, but I just woke up so it's breakfast time for me. Want some?" He asked, smiling to his friend. Sasuke eyed him with discontent.

"I'm surprised you're not having ramen for breakfast. That's all you ever eat…" The Uchiha spoke slowly, voice a monotone, despite the interlaced sarcasm. "…no thanks" He added more quietly in response to the inquiry. The two stood there for a moment in silence; Sasuke being sure to avoid eye contact, Naruto keeping a steady stare of concern on the other.

"…You feeling any better?" He asked softly, turning back to the pancakes. The Uchiha let out a slow breath as he thought.

"I'm fine." He said after a moments pause. Naruto noticeably stiffened at his side, causing Sasuke to glance at him from his peripheral in silent question.

"Sorry." The blonde shrugged. "Um, well I gotta do my homework today. Come to think of it, you do, too, don't you? You're here so I can give you all the assignments since you missed Friday…" It came out as more of a change-of-topic type dialogue than an offer. Though he could tell his friend had tried to hide it, Sasuke took inevitably direct notice of it. "How 'bout we work on it together…? It'll get done faste-"

"I'm dropping out."

The dark words cut off the blonde's babbling and caused a silence to fill the room, the only sound to fill the void being the sizzling from the pancakes on the stove. Naruto looked slowly to the other, eyes wide.

"…what?" He gasped lightly, not sure if he had heard the Uchiha correctly.

"I said, I'm dropping out." Sasuke repeated in a more assertive tone, then proceeded to walk towards the living room to take a seat on the couch.

There was a pause before Naruto turned off the stove, leaving the food to run after his friend, catching him by the wrist in the archway. "Why!?" He demanded, grip tightening as Sasuke attempted to pull away.

"Because I can," The syllables were sharp, but quiet as the boy flung his friends hand off him. "I'll be downstairs." He added in a whisper as he quickened his pace to the stairs before Naruto could pull himself out of his stupor to catch him again.

"Sasuke, wait!" The blonde begged, running after him once more as the other reached the last step.

"Leave me alone!" Sasuke finally shouted, quickening his fast walk to a jog down the hall till he rounded the corner into Naruto's room, closing the door and locking the blonde out right before he reached him. As the other's pleas echoed through the wood, Sasuke's knees finally gave, reducing him to sliding down the door into a position of hugging his knees to his chest, burying his head in them.

* * *

Near half an hour later, Naruto had finally given up and was upstairs once more. Sasuke had forced himself to the bed after a few minutes later and curled up after getting his laptop out and turning it on. He watched through a blur as the Windows Vista booted itself up and logged him on.

As his mouse hovered over the Crisis Code icon, Sasuke hesitated, pushing himself reluctantly into a seated position. A twitch befell his lips as he drifted over to the AIM icon instead; something that rarely happened. Almost instantly an IM popped up on his screen.

**xSilverScarecrow (2:17:02 PM) **_Hey. I haven't seen you online in a while. :3 What's up?_

Sasuke's fingers hesitated, shaking above the keys as they light tapped in a word.

**QuothTheRaven (2:18:09 PM) **_hi…_

Once again, the ellipses stuck themselves to the greeting as though impossible to separate. Sasuke laid down on the bed, positioning the laptop to where he could still see and type with one hand if need be.

**xSilverScarecrow (2:18:22 PM) **_Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?  
_**QuothTheRaven (2:18:32 PM) **_im fine…  
_**xSilverScarecrow (2:17:02 PM) **_=/ Are you sure…?_

Sasuke didn't answer. Slowly, his mouse veered over to the Crisis Code icon once more, clicking it to open the game. He figured he might as well grind whilst laying here.

**xSilverScarecrow (2:19:58 PM) **_You can talk to me, you know.  
_**xSilverScarecrow (2:20:01 PM) **_I'm here if you need me.  
_**QuothTheRaven (2:20:38 PM) **_…i did something stupid and got kicked out of my house…so now im living with a…friend…at least I think hes not an ex friend yet…  
_**QuothTheRaven (2:20:40 PM) **_…sorry…_

The teen inhaled shakily at the words he typed, not thinking before he had pressed enter what the consequences would be. Yet, at the moment, all he wanted was a little sympathy; something to free him from this seemingly endless turmoil of depression.

**xSilverScarecrow (2:21:07 PM) **_Aww, sweetheart. You poor thing. You don't need to be sorry for anything.  
_**xSilverScarecrow (2:21:11 PM) **_If you don't mind me asking…what happened? =/ I mean, it's probably personal so you don't want to tell me or anything.  
_**xSilverScarecrow (2:21:14 PM) **_I'll understand if you don't.  
_**xSilverScarecrow (2:21:22 PM) **_Maybe I can understand, though. I've had my fair share of experience in life.  
_**xSilverScarecrow (2:21:28 PM) **_Maybe I can help…if you give me a chance._

Sasuke sat up at this point, pursing his dry lips carefully before deciding he'd tell this Laharl guy what happened, in much more elaborate detail than what he had given Jiraiya and Naruto. He figured he'd never meet him in person or anything of the sort, so telling him things this personal would be okay.

It was at this point that Sasuke realized he had a scapegoat.

And, for now, this scapegoat might just save his life.


	7. Sins Are Synonymous With Lies

"Say it."

Tears began to form at the edges of his eyes, burning him as he was pulled up and down like a doll. "No…" He gasped, a painful yelp of a whimper surfacing on his lips as he felt himself being penetrated deeper.

"Say it, Sasuke!"

Gritting his teeth, the naked teen let out a shaky breath. "I…" He started, jaw quivering.

"SAY IT!"

"I-…I want…I want it…" Sasuke stuttered between hiccups of sobs. A low, eerie chuckle was thrown carelessly from the one atop him as felt himself being pierced even deeper.

Staring up into the face of the other, the purple eyeliner began to run. "Scream my name."

Sasuke sucked in a breath as the thrusting continued. The grip around his wrists tightened as he put up a small struggle, the entirety of his frail frame shaking.

"Or-…"

"SCREAM IT! HAHA!" The laughter came out more insanely than before, a hint of sick amusement within it's depths. Sasuke fell limp beneath the other, chest rising and falling with each exaggerated breath. He didn't care anymore. It was going to happen. Why resist?

"Orochimaru-sama!"

The teen's mind swirled as he felt something cold around his wrists as a moan of pain escaped him when the other withdrew himself from him. Handcuffs. Restraints. Closing his eyes, he couldn't get the words out of his mind; those words Laharl had told him…the words he had wanted so much to believe.

* * *

_Don't do this to yourself, Sasuke…it'll only make things worse. Don't give up. If you give up, they win, you know. You don't want them to win, do you?_

_(Sasuke had sat there for a moment, thinking, pondering. But who was they? His parents of course. That's right, if he gave up, they would win. He had only just finished telling Laharl of the current situation.)_

_Sasuke-kun, listen to me, please. Just hear me out. =/ I don't want you hurt. If you drop out of school, it will lead to other things. Trust me, I know this. You need to be strong now of all times. Go back to school, pull your grades up, and go back home and ask them for forgiveness. If you can do that, not only do you win, but everyone's happy and we all live happily ever after. I'm sure your parents really didn't want to give you up like this. They're just trying to teach you a lesson. Please, believe me. I know what I'm talking about._

* * *

"Ready, Sasuke-kun?"

The words from his current 'master' were a mere slur of words in his mind. He couldn't comprehend their meaning any longer. He was already too far gone from the pill he was given when they were riding back to the hotel room in Orochimaru's car. He hadn't known what the pill was, but he did know he wouldn't get his money if he didn't take the damn thing. Reluctantly, he had swallowed it. And now he was paying the price.

"I'll make you mine tonight, Sasuke-kun."

As a cold substance laced the lining of his cheeks leading to his hole, the boy felt the world tip sideways and blinked as his vision began to morph into a blurry view of a distorted, rather colourful version of the room he had been in prior. Furrowing his brow, a small smile inevitably perked his lips upwards as his entire body began to tingle with a numbing sensation. "Laharl-san…" He whispered. It was the only thing he could think of.

Why hadn't he listened to him?

* * *

"So, where were you last night?" The blonde didn't look up from the television screen as Sasuke entered the room. Though he appeared distracted, his words were, indeed, focused.

"Somewhere."

The two-syllable word was icy and distant, causing Naruto to glance up for a mere moment before turning both eyes back to the screen as he pressed triangle then x on his ps2 controller. "I see." He growled in a sing-song undertone, as though masking his aggravation with pleasantries. "So…" The blonde started, looking to Sasuke as the screen blinked to 'enemy turn'. The raven-haired teen sat down on the bed with a wince, forgetting he had been close-to raped the night prior. A shiver ran the length of him at the thought. Naruto furrowed a brow. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…" The stuttered response was strained as he leaned over the edge to grab his laptop. Naruto cocked his head at the other, then shrugged, getting tangibly annoyed with the other's constant avoidance.

"Wanna play?" He asked, holding up the second-player-controller towards the bed. Sasuke looked over to the TV after making sure his Vista booted itself up and logged him on.

"What are you playing, anyways?" Though there was apathy in his vocals, he couldn't help but be slightly curious.

"Disgaea."

Sasuke stared at the screen for a moment, watching Naruto enter a pattern of keystrokes as he washed his curser over each character he had on the field. Despite going as fast and efficient as the blonde was, Sasuke blinked for a moment, sitting up straight.

"Wait, go back!" He shouted desperately, climbing to the end of the bed where the TV was only inches away from. Naruto cocked a brow.

"Huh?"

At this, Sasuke snagged the controller from him, running the curser back over a sprite with blue hair. Looking at the stats box in the bottom left hand corner of the screen, the boy's eyes widened.

"Did you name this character?" He asked, feeling his jaw drop slightly. Naruto crawled beside him, taking the controller back.

"Uh, no…? You can't change the names of the main characters. I mean, you can, but that'd be stupid."

Sasuke stared for a moment more at the letters on the screen. Slowly, he read each one separately in his mind. L-A-H-A-R-L. As Naruto sat stupefied beside him, the boy crawled instantly back to his computer, immediately opening the aim icon and signing on, clicking the IM box for silver scarecrow.

**QuothTheRaven (4:18:08 PM) **_uv got some damn explaining to do_

_

* * *

_

A/N: Y'think I should up the rating to mature rather than teen cuz of rape? I think I'll just keep it at teen. But idk. Opinions, please? Lol.

As always, review if you want an update.


	8. Alone Together

A/N: Okay. I upped the rating after thinking about it for a while, lol. And I realized this is one of the first fanfics I'm really writing just because I want to write it and that be the only reason. Normally, I have other core motivation for writing fanfic. Haha. Oh well…just a revelation on my part, I guess. And I normally type with my two index fingers (98wpm lol) but my left index finger is bleeding so I have band aide on it so I have to type with my middle finger. o,...,o Annoying, much…Slows me down. Ahem. Onto the fic…

* * *

Strands of raven locks began to litter the tile as the boy tugged at his hair. It was a lie. All of it was a lie. He had no one. He was alone.

"Sasuke…" The worried voice on the other end of the door rose an octave as the boy crawled desperately for the drawers beneath the sink. He hadn't eaten in two days now; his frail frame beginning to look thinner by the second as he raised a shaky hand to the handle, tears forming a small trail of puddles as he grasped it, pulling the drawer open. The teen had to pull himself up to look inside it, the cluttered contents causing a muffled crash to echo about the small bathroom as the drawer slid open. No longer attempting to silence his sobs, the boy sucked in a shaky breath as his hand formed a fist around the bottle inside. Pills rattled within the plastic depths as he took it from the drawer. "Sasuke!" The voice sounded stronger this time, more assertive, more dominant…it was almost unfitting to the blonde. Sasuke had always considered him a sidekick-like figure rather than the hero, albeit the fact it was quite opposite.

"NO! I'm fucking DONE, Naruto!" The teen screamed through quivering sobs, voice breaking as he felt himself collapse against the tub.

They were liars, damnit. All of them were liars. Everyone was against him and the few that weren't, he couldn't see. His family, his peers, Laharl…the only ones he had ever trusted in his life had betrayed him. All but Naruto, yet. But he couldn't see Naruto. Not now. Not when he was like this.

"Sasuke, please!! Don't do this!" The formerly assertive voice of his friend had dwindled down to masking the sobs he was experiencing himself; a weak plea that barely even grazed the Uchiha's ears as his shaky hands attempted to open the childproof cap on the bottle of pills. As hysterical as he was, the boy was having trouble realizing he had to align the arrows, push down, then turn.

* * *

"_Please, come back home sweety. We love you. We love you, okay, so come back. Please!"_

_The boy was almost tempted to hang up the phone with Naruto watching him as he clenched his knuckles at his mother's voice. Silently, he shook his head, forgetting his mother couldn't see him. A rustle on the end of the line sounded before a much deeper, yet still maturing voice took hold of his ears._

"_Damnit, you fucking idiot. Get back here, you're making mom cry."_

_The boy swallowed at his brother's voice. "Shut the fuck up, Itachi." He growled, attempting to keep the blonde from hearing._

"_Oh come on, she's not lying. We miss you, stupid. Now get your pathetic ass back home. Dad was joking, kay?"_

_Joking…He was joking? Sasuke let out a sharp breath in a scoff. "Joking?" He asked disbelievingly, sarcasm dripping from each syllable. "Fucking joking?" A small, maniac laugh surfaced from his throat. "You tell him to get on the fucking phone and tell me to come back, then. You want me back, he's got to fucking say it himself!" Though he rarely spared this many words on his family in such situations as these, normally taking the more silent of paths, the desperation in his mind was swimming with the need to be accepted. He had to make his father bow to him before he'd bow back. There was no giving in until someone gave first._

"…" _The silence on the other end made Sasuke's lips twitch._

"_Knew it." The boy had so foolishly hoped his father would take him back, would tell him to come home…something, anything. Why had he hoped? He knew it would be like this. "Fucking knew it."_

* * *

A lump caught in his throat as the painful memories resurfaced. He no longer heard Naruto's voice. Had he given up on him? He had gone away, hadn't he? That meant he didn't care. All the more reason to go through with it…right?

Sasuke's jaw quivered slightly as he wrestled with the pill cap.

What had he hoped for? That Naruto would keep trying to stop him? How stupid was that? Swallowing the lump in his throat, another memory resurfaced; one that had only just prior taken place, one that had pushed him over the edge.

* * *

_**QuothTheRaven (4:18:08 PM)**__ uv got some damn explaining to do_

_He had waited for instants as the other didn't type back. His flesh was crawling as Naruto scooted beside him, looking at the screen. "Who are you talking to?" The words stung. He didn't know. He didn't know who the fuck he was talking to anymore._

_The boy didn't answer and straightened himself out as the words 'xsilverscarecrow is typing…' appeared at the bottom of the IM window._

_**xSilverScarecrow (4:19:02 PM) **__What?_

_Sasuke flinched back a second, angered by the one-syllable inquiry._

_**QuothTheRaven (4:19:22 PM) **__what!? r u fucking kidding me! dont ask me what! u kno what! so tell me who the fuck im talkin 2 becuz I want to kno NOW_

_Naruto blinked as Sasuke's slammed his fingers against the keys, somehow forming words in his apparent rage. "Sasuke-teme?" The blonde stared for a moment, wondering what in the world was going on. Sasuke ignored the boy at his side, glaring at the screen intently. This man was sure taking his time typing, wasn't he?_

_**xSilverScarecrow (4:22:02 PM) **__I'm just someone that knows you, cares about you, and wants to be close to you. Names aren't really important, are they?_

_Sasuke blinked disbelievingly at the screen. A lie? It had been a lie? What else was a lie? Was he really 23? Was it someone around him? Was it Naruto? No, it couldn't be. Naruto was sitting right next to him. Jiraiya? No, Jiraiya was at work. But where did Jiraiya work? Itachi? Could it be Itachi?_

_The teen's mind began to swim, eyes panning the words over once more in a frenzy. "What…" He breathed, fingers beginning to shiver above the keys. "Lie…"_

"_Sasuke?" The blonde laid a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, leaning in closer to him, as though to embrace him indirectly. The raven-haired boy stiffened at his side, as though a simple touch could shatter his entire existence. Naruto looked to his friend, seeing him bite his lower lip. It was then he laid his arms around the other, hugging him to himself. "What the hell's going on with you, teme? You haven't called me dobe in ages." Though his words had a pained innuendo within him, the vocals pushed out strongly and rather jokingly, a gentle laugh submerging with the hurt. Sasuke let a shiver run the length of him in the other's arms as his eyes veered back to the screen, then widened as he read the words in the IM box._

_**xSilverScarecrow (4:22:02 PM) **__I have to go. I'll be back later, though. We can continue this later.__**  
xSilverScarecrow has logged off.  
****xSilverScarecrow will receive your offline IMs when signing back in.**_

_The boy's mouth dropped open in disbelief as he reread the words four times. Offline? Offline…?_

"_Sasuke?" The concern in the blonde's voice finally reached the Uchiha after the umpteenth time, causing him to jump slightly in the other's arms. Naruto tightened his grip. "Sasuke-teme…?"_

* * *

"Liar…" The word fell almost silently in the vacant bathroom. The room felt deserted, alone, and cold; exactly parallel to what Sasuke was feeling. A shiver ran the length of him as he swallowed hard, choking on his own saliva. "No…no!" He screamed, finally throwing the bottle as hard as he could against the wall, causing the plastic to shatter and large pill capsules to flood the tile floor. Stupidly, the boy stared at them for a moment, wondering what they were.

_Oh right…those are freedom._

It wasn't his voice that spoke in his mind, but a voice he had only begun to recognize; a voice that he had been listening to more and more often lately. A voice of sin.

A soft tap at his bare foot caused him to look down, seeing a couple pills roll towards his toes and stop whence they hit the barrier of flesh.

_Take them._

Both eyes widened slightly as he witnessed his own hand reach out to grasp the pills. "No…" He whimpered. He hadn't told himself to do that! Shivering, he shook his head, tears pouring from his eyes as his trembling hand twitched open to reveal seven narcotics in his palm. "N-no…"

"Sasuke, open the door."

Both onyx hues shot open at the voice behind the door. He knew this voice. It was much too deep to be Naruto's, yet much too high to be Jiraiya's. It was a voice he had heard drone on and on everyday in class in English. Hearing his voice in Japanese was almost unrecognizable. But what was he doing here? Oh, right. Jiraiya lived here. He used to work under Jiraiya, didn't he? He learned everything he knew from Jiraiya. Yet, here? Now? Of all times?

Sasuke dropped the pills, immediately lacing his fingers through his hair and pulling with all his might as he backed himself into the crevice between the toilet and the bathtub. Soon, his nails found their ways to his arms, clawing at the flesh avidly, trails of blood forming as he ripped the skin from himself. It felt like heaven, yet only made him cry more. The contradiction made his head spin till he heard the voice once more.

"If you don't open the door, I'll break it down. One way or another, you're coming out of there, Sasuke."

The serious syllables cut into him slightly, yet he couldn't seem to voice a single word of response. He could retaliate against anyone…

…anyone _but Kakashi._

_

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_

A/N As always, review if you want an update.


	9. Deceit: The Parallel Ecstasy

A/N: Thank you very much to everyone who's reviewed and will review. It's greatly, greatly appreciated, seeing as reviews are the things that give me inspiration to write. And I apologize for the length of this chapter…lol.

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Sasuke slid himself further back as his body began to shake violently. "No…" He whispered breathlessly. The crawling in his skin continued till he began to rip at his flesh more to get it to stop. A crimson trickle dripped gently to the floor, staining the milky tile a hue of velvet red.

There was pounding in the distance, he heard it. Not aggressive pounding, but pounding of a hammer against something…what, though? The distant clink reminded him of the screws holding the latches to the door in place. There were voices, many voices. He only recognized some; not all, but they were swarming him, regardless. A burning sensation at his arms alerted him something was wrong; though, looking down had been a mistake. As he averted his eyes to the source, both widened at the sight of spiders crawling up him; many, possibly hundreds. The hairy, eight eyed creatures' many squirming legs caused the teen to lift both hands to his arms to brush them away in panicked alarm; only to find both hands were already there where the spiders were.

_No. _He corrected himself. _In place OF the spiders._

Looking down at himself, the claw marks he had inflicted began to take form, the mirage of eight-legged creatures vanishing. Attempting to push himself back even further, the boy's bare foot hit a small puddle of blood, slipping forward and causing him to hit his head on the handle of the toilet. A stinging sensation hit the back of his skull before suddenly fading to a pleasant tingle. A smirk quirked his lips upwards as he looked at his palm, suddenly wondering where the pills had gone. Both onyx hues danced to the floor shakily, seeing the pasty tile littered with the shiny narcotic capsules. Another stinging sensation pricked the side of his head, alerting him to the fact that he was tugging on his hair once more. A small laugh surfaced from his throat as he remembered he had taken the pills. How long had it been since then? An hour ago? Two? A minute ago? The teen had lost track of time. How long had he been sitting in there?

A bright spat of light kissed the floor, illuminating the glittering pills amongst the pale tile. Sasuke looked up suddenly, wondering where the light was coming from. Hints of white, silver, and gold caught his eyes before an echoed slue of words varying in pitch was carried to his ears. As much as he tried to focus his vision, the blur of people in front of him wouldn't come clear.

"GO AWAY!" He heard himself scream desperately. _Like watching a movie, isn't it?_ The thoughts carried through him till he felt himself shiver and stiffen at the touch of a man's large hands around his slender wrists, pulling him forward and out of the crevice he had lodged himself in. "NO! NO! NO!" Was that his voice? It sure as hell didn't sound like him. Not at all. It wasn't something he'd say, either, was it? So why in the world had it come out sounding as though it were his voice?

_Not me…never me. Not me. It wasn't…I didn't…_

A warmth formed around his frail waist as the two hands formerly on his wrists were placed right above his hips, lifting his form up to a standing position as he struggled, pushing and pulling with the blurry figure before him.

"Sasuke, stop!" A voice from beside sounded. He knew that voice…but who? Who…

Glancing over, a shock of cerulean and gold caught a set onyx hues. Naruto. That was who.

The grip around his waist tightened significantly, causing his subconscious struggling to become limited. Slowly, the blurry vision before him began to clear again. His eyes widened at the sight of what was coming to view. "Ka…kashi…" He felt the whisper come past his lips, but couldn't remember forcing the sound out. The struggling then stopped with realization, causing his body to fall limp in the elder male's arms. The teacher was quick to catch him, swiftly pulling him up into his arms against his chest in a bridal position. This seemed so oddly familiar to him. It was almost like déjà vu. The world was spinning as he heard the voices begin to stop echoing, the words clearly catching themselves on his ears; though, it was still impossible to tell whose voice belonged to who.

"What the hell did he take?"

"I dunno…What are these things? They look like candy."

"What? Let me see, Naruto."

"See? See the little pictures? And all the colours? They look like candy. They're awfully tiny to be candy, though. Maybe like those candies…umm, what are they called…uhh, Red Hots! Yeah, those. They're, like…as small as those."

There was a pause as the man holding him readjusted Sasuke in his arms, forcing him closer, forcing him to close his eyes against his chest.

"Y'know what they are, old man?"

There was another pause as the one being spoken to cleared his throat. "Yeah. Were these yours, Naruto?" The concern was even evident to the one speaking. An almost tangible alarm was felt in the air about them.

"What? No. I don't even know where these came from."

Sasuke buried himself deeper into the man's chest, smelling a sweet, intoxicating scent. There was yet another pause that the teen took no notice of as he inhaled the scent deeply within himself. For a strange unknown reason, it seemed to calm him down. A lot.

"What is it?"

Looking sideways, all the colours of the room stood out tenfold to Sasuke, causing his eyes to fall off balance and forcing him to close them tight as the room began to spin once more.

"Ecstasy."

Sasuke felt the air tense significantly. Ecstasy…why did that word sound so familiar? Ecstasy…Orochimaru…didn't those two things go hand in hand? It seemed like they did. Yet he couldn't remember exactly. But what were they talking about? Those weren't the pills he had taken. The pills he had taken were capsules, weren't they? Determined to find out, the boy let his head drop to the side, attempting to focus his vision in on the pills littering the floor. Onyx hues widened at the sight of multicoloured candy-like drops on the floor.

"No…th-they were…" He started, voice raspy and desperate from misuse. Screaming so much when he normally said so little had caused him to experience the beginnings of losing his voice. The teen immediately felt eyes on him as his memory cleared. Sure, he had seen them as capsules. And they had been in a bottle of perfectly normal Oxycodone. Looking at the formerly white bottle, the boy now noticed the orange tint to the translucent plastic. They hadn't been capsules at all. They were, indeed, ecstasy. Ecstasy Orochimaru had given him.

"What…? Ecstasy? As in…drugs? Illegal drugs?" A small whisper came from his friend. The voices were slowly starting to connect with their owners. Sasuke felt Kakashi's grip tighten on him and swallowed at the tense atmosphere. "Should we call an ambulance…?"

_What? No! I'm not going to a fucking hospital, you motherfucking-_

"No, they're low in mg dosage, thankfully. We just gotta watch him till he comes down from it."

Sasuke lifted both shaky hands to pull at his hair, beginning to tremble uncontrollably once more in Kakashi's arms as the bathroom began to move from side to side. A hair straightener barred it's fabricated teeth at the boy. It looked so real to him he couldn't imagine it any other way. The room began to move, still swaying from side to side, till he realized he was being carried out of the bathroom and up the stairs to the living room.

Frightened, he looked about him, every object seeming to take the shape of something or another before he finally got fed up with it all and buried himself in Kakashi's chest, shutting his eyes tight as he continued to tug on his hair; that is, till he felt the fabric of a couch beneath him, two strong hands prying his wrists from his hair and setting them at his side. Instantly, the boy tried to reach up again to grab at the raven strands only to find both arms being pushed back down once more. A small whimper surfaced on his tongue as he struggled gently with the one holding him down till he figured out it was no use and gave up, chest heaving slightly from a mix of subconscious panic and exhaustion.

Silently, the boy's mind swarmed with thoughts. How long had he been like this? How long till it stopped? What time was it? What day was it? A smaller hand reached out and began to pet him, smoothing the messy raven locks atop his head.

"Get me some cold water and some rags." A voice sounded and the petting stopped suddenly. Sasuke let out a small sound of protest, twisting himself to see where Naruto had went. It seemed like milliseconds before the blonde returned, handing the glass of cool water and a couple rags to Jiraiya. "Hold him down, Kakashi, this is going to sting a bit. Naruto, go fetch me some rubbing alcohol in the loft bathroom. Should be under the sink."

Sasuke felt the grip around his upper arms tighten as Jiraiya pressed a damp rag to the boy's arms. A slight stinging sensation prickled the torn pores, causing him to lurch back as much as he could within the elder males grasp. "No…no more…" He barely recognized the pitiful plea that was his voice. He hadn't meant to say it aloud. Yet, everything he wouldn't normally do in public or say aloud was seemingly becoming so much easier to let loose and, partially, so much more uncontrollable. As the boy squirmed, he soon felt his circulation limiting itself, Kakashi's hands holding him in place and giving him no leeway as Jiraiya continued the initial cleansing of each self inflicted claw mark along his arms.

"Here." Naruto's voice seemed almost monochromatic to Sasuke's ears; something abnormal and terrifying to the boy. As his wide eyes panned to the ceiling, the small bead-like material on the roof began to dance and shift themselves in all different directions, causing his lips to inevitably twitch upwards in a crooked smile before throwing themselves back down in a frown as an unexpected yelp proceeded past his lips in tune with the burning sting of the alcohol against his bare, ripped flesh.

The teen felt himself being repositioned as Kakashi sat on the near side of him on the couch, propping his body up into a semi-sitting position and resting his head against his chest. A cool hand covered his eyes, engulfing him in darkness and pressing him to the man's abdomen. Slowly, the stinging sensation dulled to a numb tingling and the boy felt increasingly tired; exhausted, rather. A larger hand was petting him this time, more gently, at that; a soothing trickle of fingers caressing his catastrophic raven locks. Sasuke couldn't help but let out a hybrid between a moan and a whimper. He felt abnormally free, for once, as though nothing were holding him back and there were no barriers to keep the emotion he so normally withheld from slipping out. He knew he'd regret it later, if he remembered it, but pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he leaned in to the man petting him. He felt Kakashi sigh gently causing the teen to stiffen slightly, wondering why it had felt like a sigh of disappointment. What had he done now? He didn't understand…not a single bit. Though he could only see the dancing colourful spots of darkness, he knew something wasn't right.

Swallowing, the boy felt another wave of paranoia sweep over him and began to struggle once more. He felt Kakashi's hands grab at his stomach, holding him in place against him. As the teen saw the light of the living room once more, he was greeted by Naruto's hand reaching out to hold him back. Immediately, instinctively, Sasuke bit him. Hard. Before the boy knew just _how_ hard he had bitten down, the metallic taste of blood tapped at his taste pallets and caused him to immediately draw back. He saw the blonde yelp in pain, but couldn't hear a single bit of it. His rapid heart beat had flooded his ears in sync with his stark panting.

_I'm sorry…_

He wouldn't dare say it aloud. The boy felt himself stop entirely, the burning prickle on his arm fading to null as tears stung the corners of his eyes. He could hold them back so easily normally; why now? Why? Naruto looked to him as his breathing slowed, the gentle pace of pained cerulean flowing his way in accordance to an 'apology accepted'. Did Naruto really know him that well? He felt himself sniff slightly as the stinging began to return on his arms, only this time, in much greater magnitude.

Sasuke let out a yell as alcohol collided with the cuts. It was cleansing all right. He could feel every little broken pore being burned to nothingness. Though, for a reason unbeknownst to him, he wouldn't struggle or flinch away, albeit the pain reaching a max.

_Kick him, it'll only hurt him for a bit. Then you can run away and be free, don't you know? It's that easy. Naruto can't run as fast as you, Kakashi would need time to get up, and Jiraiya would be on the floor in pain. You'd have plenty of time to escape. C'mon, just do it._

Sasuke's eyes widened as the voice in his head became much more realistic than normal, pushing itself to the front of his mind and creating a tone and pitch for itself. It wasn't often the thinking voice in his head had an identifiable pitch or tone. It was just…there. It existed. That's all it ever was. But, now, with tone and pitch completely readable, the boy couldn't help but subconsciously generate a personality to the voice and a body to the personality. In his mind, there was another person. A fake person, but a person, nonetheless.

Frantically, the Uchiha looked around the room, wondering what to do. Sit here and endure the torture then probably be lectured afterwards? Or break free and come back later? But, could he really come back? Sasuke blinked down, watching his chest rise and fall with each quick, staggered breath. He didn't think he could ever come back after something like that. But what would Naruto think? He knew the blonde wouldn't just…give up. He'd come after him if he ran, he knew. For the strangest of reasons, the chase sounded rather…appealing…to him. Furrowing a brow, Sasuke wondered why for a minute before realizing it was simply a feeling and desire, nothing with logic behind it. Like a sudden craving for chocolate. Was there ever any logic behind that?

Looking up, the silent movie before him played out; Jiraiya moving in slow-motion to clean each cut, Naruto sitting on the end of the couch looking concernedly towards him, Kakashi tightening his grip around the boy's waist to keep him in place. As the teen's eyes met, the blonde cocked his head. Sasuke returned the mute inquiry with an innocent smile. Naruto blinked as Jiraiya leaned back once more to dab the tip of the rag he had into the alcohol.

Sasuke quickly took that opportunity to swing a leg off the couch, nailing the elder directly in the family jewels before pushing Kakashi off him in alarm and dashing for the door.

"Sasuke!!"

Little had he or the imaginary person in his mind taken into account was the fact that the drug caused severe discoordination. Tripping over his own two feet, the boy felt himself falling; slowly. As though the world had been set on pause, both onyx hues watched as a rush of silver attempting to catch him by the waist, only missing by maybe a half a centimeter. An echo of his name reverberated through his mind as he felt something sharp hit the back of his head. As both charcoal obsidian glanced up widely at the room above him, a sticky paste-like material forming a small blotchy patch, gluing itself to the locks of blackish blue raven colouring.

Looking slightly to the left, he saw Kakashi bend over him, mouthing his name…right before a blanket of black washed over him and the cold, empty feeling inside returned, engulfing him in its wings of unconsciousness.

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A/N: I debated on whether to publish this chapter or not. I showed this to my GF, CrazyMichelle, before continuing writing it. So hopefully it's okay, content-wise, and not too ooc. Speaking of her, you should check out her story, Cornbread, if you like NaruSasu drama. It'd be well-worth your time. Trust me.

Like always, review if you want an update.


	10. Caught in the Act

A/N: I've updated my profile with the status/priority of my fics and which ones have been discontinued, etc. Just throwing that out there. Wow. Double digit chapter already. Weird.

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"Well, I've gotta go to work…you watch him, okay?"

"But, wait, I've got work tonight, too, old man. I can't-"

"Alright, I know. Just watch him till you have to go. I'll call Kakashi so he can come over after he finishes with class."

"Eh!? Then he'll know I skipped school today!"

"Naruto…He was _there_ last night. He's fine with it. I've gotta go, I'm already skipping half a day of work as it is."

"Alright, alright, alright…"

Sasuke furrowed a brow, allowing one eye to open to see a blurry view of Jiraiya picking up a bag and waving goodbye to the blonde at his side, who returned the gesture with sticking out his tongue at the other. At this, the teen had to close his eyes with the oncoming headache. Sure, he had heard the conversation, but he hadn't comprehended it. As a door closed, the boy brought a hand to his head to apply pressure at the source.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Two slits of onyx fixated open and swerved to the side to look at Naruto who lifted a bandaged hand towards the other. The teen slapped the other away, closing his eyes once more.

"What, dobe?"

The blonde smiled down at him suddenly, causing the Uchiha to arch a brow. "You're back."

"Huh?" The annoyance in his voice was evident amongst the near tangible confusion. Naruto flashed the other his infamous fox-like grin.

"Oh, nothing~." He sang, getting to his feet and walking towards the kitchen. _'He's finally acting like himself again.' _The boy's smile widened at the thought as he opened the cabinet. "Want anything for lun- er, breakfast?"

Sasuke looked to the other, sitting up. "What time is it?" Absentmindedly, he put a hand to the back of his head where a subtle stinging sensation befell him. Feeling bandages amongst his raven locks, the boy blinked, suddenly realizing his arms were bandaged from the wrists up to his elbows along with around the top of his head, a flow of blue-hued black cascading over the pearly white. "Wha…" He whispered, confused. Naruto looked back with a smile, snagging a box of Apple Jacks and sitting on the couch next to his friend.

"Um, it's about noon. The old man skipped out on half a days worth of work so he could make sure you were okay." The blonde shrugged, voraciously opening the cereal box and scooping a handful into his mouth, proceeding to hold the opened end out to Sasuke. "Here, eat. You haven't eaten anything in three days now…" Though Naruto's somewhat annoying chipper attitude had returned, the worry and concern hadn't left.

Sasuke twitched slightly, looking to the right before mumbling 'not hungry' and swinging his legs over the edge of the couch, leaning back comfortably before closing his eyes. He felt Naruto stiffen beside him. Ignoring the other, a sigh escaped the boy's lips. "Who put these bandages on me anyways?" The stiffness apparated.

"Me. Well, okay, the old man helped a bit, but I did most of it after he cleaned all those cuts you had…" Shying away from the end of the sentence, the boy's syllables dropped to almost inaudible in volume. Sasuke opened one eye to look at the other.

"…you did?" Though he had wanted it to come out apathetically, the staggered inquiry had slipped past as curiosity. Naruto perked up suddenly, smiling once more.

"Well, of course." He nodded, pushing the Apple Jacks towards the other once more. "C'mon, please eat something. I know you're hungry. I don't eat for a few hours and my stomach starts grumbling. You can't possible not be hungry after not eating a thing for three days."

"That's you, not me, dobe." Sasuke closed his eye after receiving an answer, as though uninterested in anything else the blonde had to say.

Engulfed in the light darkness that was evident behind both eyelids, the teen wasn't prepared to feel Naruto climb on top of him, straddling him between his legs on the couch. Immediately, both onyx orbs shot open, ready to yell at the other before becoming startled at the close proximity of the other to him. There was a slight pause as Sasuke regained his calm. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked in an undertone.

"Force-feeding you."

It came out so blunt and carefree the Uchiha had to wonder if his friend was serious. "What? Get off me, stupid. I'm not hungry. End of discussion."

Naruto huffed. "That's why it's called _force_-feeding, teme." He growled, before squinting determinedly at the other. Sasuke shifted below him slightly.

"Get off."

"Not until I see you eat something!"

The Uchiha shifted once more, leaning to the side in hopes of escape. Naruto moved with him, putting more of his weight on the other. The black-haired teen gritted his teeth angrily at the blonde, shooting a glare in his direction. Naruto's lips perked up in a cocky smirk. "Go on, keep trying. I dare you!"

Sasuke growled a curse under his breath. Did the boy always have to turn everything into a challenge? Uchiha's didn't lose challenges. "What, do you want me to wrestle you or something?"

Surprisingly, the blonde's smirk widened to a smile. "Bring it!" He yelled, throwing the box aside. "If I win, you have to eat, though!"

Never one to back down from a challenge, Sasuke allowed a smirk of his own to pass his lips. "Fine. If I win, you leave me alone."

"Deal!"

With that, Sasuke began attempting to push Naruto off him. The blonde held fast for a moment before the Uchiha brought a leg towards the other boy's manhood. Startled, Naruto leapt backwards to the far side of the couch. "That's cheating!" He yelled in alarm as Sasuke brought himself up to push down on the other. With a growl accompanying the constant smile, Naruto caught both the boy's hands and threw him to the side, accidentally pushing him entirely off the couch. Instinctively, the Uchiha grabbed the other and brought him down with him.

Subconsciously pressing both eyes shut, the Uchiha felt himself hit the ground, a significant weight atop him. "Ow…what the hell…" He growled, opening one eye before the pair shot open in alarm. "D-dobe, get the hell off me!!" He stuttered, staring into two surprised cerulean orbs. Naruto kneeled doggie-style atop the other, hands on the other's wrists, legs in a straddle around the boy's waist. Both sets of cheeks were stained a bright pink before Naruto leapt backwards in alarm, bumping into the coffee table as he did so, eyes wide.

"I-I…" He stuttered, suddenly flustered. Sasuke got to his feet quickly, turning as he wiped an arm across his lips as though he didn't want the other to see him. Swallowing, the teen felt his heart racing. Without saying a word, the boy rushed towards the basement door. "W-wait, Sasuke, I-"

"I'll be in your room." Sasuke uttered as he traipsed down the stairs before stopping abruptly. "N-not like that, either!" He added, face fluttering towards a deeper shade of pink than prior at the perverse thought.

* * *

**Resplendence says **_Hey, you haven't been online in ages. I missed you. What's been up? (I'm kind of at work, so don't mind me if I'm a little on the slow side.)_

Sasuke swallowed, relieved to see the other online in-game, since he had caused a panic in the boy's heart when the Uchiha saw he wasn't on AIM. Fingers quivering over the keys, the black-haired boy sucked in a breath of air, licking his dry lips.

_its ok. sry i havnt been online_

The boy watched the cursor blink for a moment before actually hitting enter. He waited a moment before more words appeared on the screen.

**Resplendence says** _Sorry I left in such a hurry last time we talked. I had to be somewhere for someone important._

Sasuke blinked as he felt a wave of jealousy wash over him.

_its ok_

It was all he could type, feeling his joints clench up as his body stiffened territorially. It was on odd sensation, he admitted, and he hadn't a clue why he was feeling it, but it was there. There was no denying that.

**Resplendence says**_ You okay?_

Sasuke twitched. How in the world did he know these things? He had barely said a sentence to the man nevertheless given him any emotion to read. He hadn't even added an ellipses.

_im fine_

Slightly irked, the boy bit his lip. He prided himself on not being easy to read. Sure, these past few days he had lost his touch big time, but he was slowly regaining it back. A throbbing sensation surmounted his head, causing him to bite down harder on his lower lip, drawing blood. He quickly licked at it, savoring the metallic taste on his tongue.

**Resplendence says **_Well, that's a lie… But if you don't want to tell me, I understand._

A lump caught in the Uchiha's throat. _'No, it's not that I don't want to tell you…I just don't know how…' _The boy swallowed hard, letting out another breath as more words appeared in the box.

**Resplendence says **_So, you wanna grind? Gotta keep my guildies in top shape, you know._

Sasuke furrowed a brow. He hadn't noticed till now that the other wasn't using his normal amount of excessive emoticons. He had felt something was off, yet he didn't know what.

_not till u tell me ur name_

Leaning back on Naruto's bed and repositioning himself, Sasuke grabbed his laptop and set it on his lap, recalling the incident which had set him over the edge.

**Resplendence says** _Sorry, but I can't tell you that._

Sasuke felt himself sit up straighter, lower jaw quivering in annoyance. The boy was riding on the edge of piqued.

_why not?! i told u mine what does it matter?_

**Resplendence says **_I want to be close to you even if you're not close to me._

The Uchiha blinked. _'What? What does that even mean?' _His mind began reeling once more as the cryptic message attempted to decipher itself within the realms of his head.

"Sasuke?"

The boy jumped slightly, startled at the sudden sound. Looking up, he noticed Naruto had entered the room and was staring questioningly at him. Had he been forming expressions without realizing it? Regaining himself, Sasuke cleared his throat.

"What?" He inquired, pulling the laptop closer to him protectively as he repositioned himself against the corner formed by the head of Naruto's bed and the wall. The blonde blinked.

"Um…I just came down to see if you were okay." He said slowly, cocking his head inquisitively at the other. Sasuke let out a small breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

"I'm fine." He huffed, turning his attention back to his computer then suddenly cursing as he noticed the other had logged off.

"…you sure?" Naruto asked after catching a few of the curse words. Sasuke looked up again, sighing aggravatedly. Lately, everything was pissing him off. Especially Naruto. Glaring at his friend, he said nothing. "Umm, I also came down to tell you I gotta go to work."

Sasuke sat up straighter. "Since when do you work?" He growled, slamming the lid of his laptop shut and crossing his arms. Naruto stiffened noticeably in the doorway, clearly taken aback.

"Since a few years back when Jiraiya lost his first job. I've gotta earn my keep, you know."

Sasuke blinked, surprised. An innuendo of impression rode on his features. He hadn't known. "…oh." He whispered after a second, not sure of what to say next.

The blonde circled slowly in the doorway; a small twirl to pass the time. The Uchiha raised a brow as Naruto looked determinedly at him, mouth cropped up on one side in a lopsided smile of concern. "You're sure you're okay?" He asked softly, hands planting themselves on his hips. Sasuke looked away, unable to speak the two words he was about to whilst making eye contact.

"I'm fine." He whispered, twitching as he heard his own voice take a twist of pain rather than the frontal lie of calm, annoyed emotion he normally put up. Letting out a shaky breath, the teen was tempted to add 'not really' in an undertone, but refrained, suddenly realizing he wanted someone to figure it out. He didn't want to have to tell them he wasn't okay. He wanted someone to decipher it and react accordingly.

"Sasuke…"

Looking up as he felt a weight on the side of the bed, cerulean met onyx.

"Please don't lie to me." The pained syllables from Naruto caused Sasuke to avert his eyes once more, heart racing as he shrunk inside himself, making himself seem as small as possible in the corner formed by the bed and the wall.

"D-don't you have to go to work or something?" The teen growled, body beginning to tremble as he held back tears he didn't know the source of. _'What the hell!? Why, why? I don't understand! What the fuck!?' _"Get the fuck out. Now!" The surge of choked vocals caught themselves in his throat as Naruto furrowed a brow, lifting a hand to place on the other's shoulder comfortingly. Sasuke's eyes grew wide, a flashback of his father towering over him, hand outstretched in mid-swing, flooding his mind. "N-no!" He screamed suddenly, cowering with his arms above his head in a block as he felt his body slip down in the edging between the bed and the wall. When nothing happened, the Uchiha looked up, tears in the corners of his eyes, to see a stunned Naruto holding a limp hand towards him.

There was silence for a moment as Sasuke's stuttering of shallow breath began to return to normal when he realized where he was. The teen licked his dry lips, inhaling shakily as he pushed himself out of the crack. Just as he did so, a warmth flooded around him as he was slammed gently back against the wall once more.

Neither said a word as Naruto hugged the boy to him, hand around the back of his head, pushing him into his chest as he hugged the other closer and tighter. Sasuke's eyes widened.

After what seemed like a few moments pause, the Uchiha shifted slightly, unsure of whether to hug back or stay there in silence. "…wh-what're you doing, dobe?" The words were soft and gentle as Sasuke finally gave in, leaning his weight into the other as he allowed the blonde to hug him closer.

"Giving you what you need." The boy mumbled as he nuzzled gingerly into the other's sweet-smelling hair. The black-haired boy absentmindedly arched his back into the blonde as Naruto cuddled into a spot towards the back of his neck, hot breath beating on the bare flesh. The Uchiha's right hand formed a clench around the other's shirt on his back as he pushed his head into the other's chin, bringing his lips up to graze the other's neck.

He didn't know what he was doing, nor did he know what was going on. It felt good. That was all he knew. Without realizing it till he heard the other make a small noise and claw at his back, the boy noticed he had bitten down on the other's neck, lapping at the moist, tender flesh with his tongue.

"Wh-what am I doing, you ask? Wh-what are y-you doing?" Naruto stuttered, hands running up the back of Sasuke's shirt to grab onto his skin as the boy sucked on his neck.

"I…" The Uchiha started, releasing the other. "I don't know." It was truth. It was honest truth. He hadn't a single clue what he was doing. His mind felt clouded, his body felt hot, bothered, and needy; a throbbing sensation tingled at his manhood.

Before he could notice anything else, the teen felt his wrists being taken hold of, his entire body being pushed back onto the bed as Naruto mounted him, lips pressing together in a tender, yet vicious kiss. Warm saliva seeped between the two as the blonde felt something wet pressing at his lips in an inquiry of entrance.

Complying, the boy let himself arch into the other, warmth of hardened extensions grazing each other as Sasuke's tongue entered the other's mouth and took the opportunity to explore as their tongues did a dance between them.

Sasuke let out a small whimper as Naruto's hands found their ways to his nipples beneath his shirt and grabbed at them, tugging slightly, before trickling down his abdomen to his pants, taking hold of the button and zipper and releasing them.

The two broke the kiss for a mere instant as Sasuke stripped himself of his shirt, Naruto working at his pants and boxers voraciously. Immediately, their lips connected once more as the two began panting, breathing syncing with each other.

The Uchiha let out a sharp breath as he felt his extension hit cool air. It was quickly warmed again as a hand fell around it, moving back and forth rapidly over it in a loose grasp. Naruto retook his friend's lips in his own, sucking the lower one in and allowing it to swell in his mouth as he raped it of it's sweet juices.

Sasuke felt his chest heaving as he struggled with the other, feeling his wrists pinned down above his head as he latched his legs up on Naruto, who was perched doggie style above him. The blonde released the other's mouth, leaving a trail of kisses as he moved down past his chin to his neck, biting down and sucking it in.

Sasuke let out a moan, unable to hold back any longer as his growing erection pulsed. He felt Naruto smile as he pecked a small kiss on the other's lips before traipsing his lips down to the boy's nipple, tongue swirling around it as it hardened in his mouth.

The Uchiha's breathing became staggered and deep with each lick of the blonde's tongue trailing over his hardness. "N-Naruto…" The boy began, only to hear his voice morph into a needy moan as he felt his lower half move up and down without control.

As the boy released the other's wrists, Sasuke immediately moved his hands to the other's hair, tugging on it as he laced his fingers through the golden locks. Naruto moved down; slowly, steadily, before his lips grazed the other's throbbing hardness. Curious, the boy looked up, silently asking if it was okay. As Sasuke nodded, the blonde smiled kindly then formed his lips around the head, ready to begin.

"You in here, Sasuke?"

The two froze as the door opened, the familiar voice of their english teacher reaching their ears, causing Naruto's eyes to veer towards the clock only to notice he was a half an hour late for work.

Fearfully, Sasuke looked over to the silver-haired man in the doorway, then back to a shocked Naruto, who then proceeded to throw himself back to the foot of the bed and stutter some slue of excuses the black-haired teen didn't understand.

His heartbeat filled his head as the man's eyes locked with his, a subtle pain beneath their silverish tint. A gentle nod caused the man's eyes to close as he leaned casually against the doorway.

"Did you at least use protection or did I interrupt the good part?"

Sasuke stiffened at the other's voice; a calm anger. One he hated most. He could handle yelling. He could handle physical abuse. If there was one thing he couldn't handle, it was calm anger. Swallowing, the boy felt Naruto throwing a blanket at him.

"N-no! I-it's n-not what it l-looks like!" The blonde stuttered, noticeably flustered. The Uchiha slowly pulled the blanket off his head, sitting up now only to stare stupefied at their teacher, who shrugged rather annoyedly towards them.

"It's alright, I don't mind." He mumbled haphazardly. There was a pause of pure silence; the loud kind. Sasuke flinched. He hated loud silences. As his dry lips parted, Kakashi turned in the doorway. "I guess I'll be upstairs then," He whispered in a half-sigh. "Be safe, at least. If you need anything, I've most likely got it so don't hesitate to ask."

With that, the man closed the door, a harsh slam as he whisked himself from their view, fists clenched at his side in accompaniment with his grinding teeth. The two listened as he traipsed up the stairs loudly. Naruto looked to Sasuke. Sasuke looked to Naruto.

A beat passed before either spoke.

"I…I'm…late for work." Naruto stuttered, getting off the bed quickly as he averted both eyes. "L-later." He mumbled, grabbing things with shaky hands before running out the door as quickly as he could. Sasuke sat there for a moment as the door swung closed after watching Naruto trip and drop things several times before actually making it there.

It was then he realized he was alone. Alone with their teacher in the house.

The same teacher who had just seen him entirely naked.

* * *

A/N: Long chapter ftw? Lol. I could easily write more from there, but I don't want to. I need to stop writing these author notes. Lol. They're a pain and a deterrent for readers, I know. Heh. Oh well. Till next time…review if you want an update.


	11. Tottie for your Troubles?

A small breath escaped two quivering lips as Sasuke sat shivering on the bed, too scared to move to fetch his clothes. His frail frame trembled slightly as both onyx orbs panned the interior, mind racing with rabid thoughts that ate at him till he had induced his own paranoia. Two subtle knocks on the door sent both black hues racing towards the handle as it opened. The boy hugged the blanket closer to him, knowing who was behind it.

"Sasuke?" A gentle voice inquired. "Naruto's been gone for over an hour now and you still haven't come out so I figured I'd come to you."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Over an hour? He had been down there for over an hour? No wonder he was freezing. With two fans in the room on full and a temperature of 60 degrees Farenheit, Naruto did, indeed, like it cold. Sitting naked with that for over an hour made Sasuke wonder how he had endured it with the 75 degrees he was accustomed to in his household. It had only felt like a few minutes.

As a flash of silver came into view, the boy couldn't help but cringe and push himself back against the wall, blanket hugged closer than before. Kakashi sighed.

"You're gonna catch a cold." He mused, walking casually over to the fans and turning them both off. The man stood erect, hands on his hips as he looked down on the other whilst the fans quieted themselves and the room was engulfed in silence. Sasuke straightened subconsciously on the bed, attempting to feel bigger, superior. A smirk perked Kakashi's lips as he advanced on the other, causing the boy to shrink right back down to his prior small size.

"Get away." The teen commanded, voice icy and distant through clenched teeth. When his teacher didn't comply, Sasuke stiffened. "I said get the fuck away." He hissed, attempting to sound more serious than prior. The man rolled his eyes, sitting on the edge of the bed as the Uchiha inched himself into the corner, sliding down slightly between the bed and the wall.

"Make me." Kakashi mused childishly, seductive smirk perking his lips.

Both brows furrowed as Sasuke attempted to decipher what this man was attempting to imply. He found it odd how personal his teacher seemed to be outside of class. In school, the two barely spared each other a passing glance, nevermind an exchange of words. Sasuke was surprised for the second time that the man knew his name. With the college-like atmosphere, it was rare Kakashi knew any student's name except to maybe match a paper with the roster for grading.

Yet, his teacher seemed to be acting as though they had known each other their whole life; were good friends, shared secrets, went places together…yet, realistically, the two had barely spoken.

"I always wonder what goes on in that head of yours, you know," Kakashi whispered, inching closer. "You're so hard to read." He continued, close enough for Sasuke to feel the hot breath beating against his frigid cheeks. The teen's heart raced at an unfathomable speed as his teacher's lips drew closer, just close enough to be able to graze the other's ear, yet far enough to be at a painfully longing distance from him. Sasuke swallowed, feeling his dry throat become numb as the sound of his heart flooded his ears, a light-headed sensation taking him over.

"Like I said," Kakashi soon broke into the rhythmic thumping, voice now retaining it's normal sturdy assertion. "You're going to catch a cold." The man then proceeded to set the teen's clothes beside him, withdrawing from the close proximity he had forcefully induced. "Get dressed then come upstairs so I can check your temperature." With that, the Hatake got to his feet and left the teen alone, closing the door behind him and traipsing up the stairs to the living room.

Sasuke sat stupefied for a moment before letting out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. "Goddamnit." He hissed, clenching his chest in an attempt to slow his racing heart prior to slipping his clothes on, blushing at the fact the man had touched his boxers. His mind began to race. What in the hell had just happened?

As he slipped his last article of clothing on, the boy got to his feet, dreading going upstairs to meet with Doctor Hatake Kakashi. When the Uchiha took a deep breath and headed for the door, a slight gleam stopped him. As he looked at the source, his laptop shone brightly under the fluorescent lighting.

Pursing his lips, the teen did a double take to the door and back to his laptop. "Just checking won't hurt…" He mumbled as he grabbed it and jumped back onto the bed, opening the lid and pressing the power button.

After the few minutes it took to boot the piece of technology to life, Sasuke immediately opened his AIM and his Crisis Code simultaneously, hoping to find his normal scapegoat to talk to. Albeit the fact he hated the other at this point for lying to him, he couldn't help but crave the other's sweet diction. It was practically like…an addiction.

Huffing when he saw the other wasn't on AIM, the teen clicked 'start game' to Crisis Code and logged onto his normal server. As soon as the game had loaded, the boy looked at his friends list and guild list. Neither showed the other as online.

A wave of disappointment hit the Uchiha. _'Maybe he's invisible?'_ He asked himself, attempting to PM and IM him. Biting his lower lip, he found it true; the other really wasn't online.

Sasuke's shoulders drooped as he logged off, not bothering to power off his laptop; opting to leave it in hibernation and throw it to the foot of the bed. As the boy got to his feet, he trudged wearily upstairs to meet his fate, knowing he could prolong it no longer.

* * *

Two silver-tinted ebony orbs veered tiredly to the one who had just sat beside him on the couch in silence. A brow perked as the man looked over questioningly to the boy who was successfully attempting to hide his face in the mess of raven that was his hair.

"Sasuke-kun." It felt more like a command rather than an open inquiry. The Uchiha sat there with his head down, hair now slightly past collar bone in length and falling carelessly over his bony shoulders, both slender arms panning down between his spread, criss-crossed legs. The teen didn't acknowledge the other's presence by more than a mere uncomfortable shift.

Kakashi huffed, a subtle annoyance tensing his frame. "At least let me take your temperature."

Sasuke shrugged lightly, apathetic as to whether he did or not. Did it make a difference?

There was a pause before Kakashi broke the silence once more. "…alright," He said finally, grabbing the thermometer-like object he had placed on the table. "Open." He commanded. The teen let a shiver run the length of him before he dared look up for a split instant, snagging the thing in his mouth and looking back down once more. The Hatake blinked in surprised, startled somewhat by the quick movement. Clearing his throat, the man continued. "Put that under your tongue and keep it there…" As his sentence faded, so did his words, lightening themselves in amplification till they came to a standstill.

Sasuke did as he was told, but stiffened, biting down on the thermometer as a rather cold hand brushed his bangs aside and laid itself on his forehead. The teen felt a heat on his cheeks as his frame tightened, shrinking into itself as the man kept his hand there for a moment before pulling away.

"You might have a bit of a fever." Was all he said, though Sasuke could've sworn he heard a 'serves you right, though' mumbled under the mans breath, causing him to look up and make eye contact for the first time since he had come upstairs. Both onyx hues widened as he saw the man's fierce gaze as he got to his feet and paced casually in the living room.

Was that…_jealousy_ he had just seen? Sasuke blinked, watching as the elder of the two took long, slow strides in an oval pattern. The teen felt his brow furrow in confusion. That couldn't have been it…could it?

Sasuke looked back down to his hands, tensing and releasing his knuckles haphazardly, as though to give himself something to occupy himself with. The awkwardness in the room was nearly visible as the Uchiha curled both hands into fists, readjusting the thermometer under his tongue to the other side of his mouth before chancing a glance upwards, only to see Kakashi's back turned to him. Both orbs gently slid back down, unknowing as to what to do next. Should he say something? Should he keep quiet? Had he hurt the others seemingly nonexistent feelings? Sasuke ran the tip of his tongue over the thermometer as he thought before deciding all this thinking was pointless and let out a small breath in a near silent frustrated huff.

A tugging sensation yanked the thermometer from his mouth, causing him to look up in surprise as he watched his teacher scan the thing with care. The boy dropped his gaze once more, not caring what the reading said.

"One hundred one point eight."

Sasuke felt himself shrug, not recognizing his own voice when he spoke. "And?" The teen felt eyes on him, but didn't dare glance up, attempting to bury himself further in his hair.

"And I was right. You _do_ have a bit of a fever."

There was a pause before Sasuke bit his lower lip, feeling small and child-like under the other. "Can I go back downstairs now?" He inquired, feeling as though he needed permission to move.

"I don't trust you alone."

Both wide eyes immediately shot up to make contact with the other whose gaze bore sternly down on the teen. There was a moment of silence as Sasuke's lips parted, jaw unhinging itself slightly in disbelief. A hot anger began to boil in the depths of him, causing him to clench his teeth and swallow hard, not thinking before speaking. "Why the hell not?" He growled, fists tightening. '_Because Jiraiya instructed him not to leave me alone? Because he doesn't want to be blamed if I do something…? Because he likes the fact he has power over me? It's all about him, isn't it? Selfish fucking-'_

"Because I care."

Before the teen could register what the other had just said, the man was beside him, pressing his lips to his student's in one quick motion.

Sasuke sat there for a moment, eyes wider than before as he felt the warmth on his own lips. It was only then that it hit him and he drew back, a shock trickling through his body like an icy wave. "Wh-what're you…" The Uchiha stuttered slowly, brows furrowing in confusion as a hand wrapped around the arch of his back, pulling him forward till their bodies met, noses mere inches away from each other as Kakashi's hand held the boy up in place, his free hand coming to his student's face to brush away the pin straight raven strands till their eyes could lock clearly.

A fear stiffened Sasuke's body as both his small hands came up almost subconsciously to push on the other's chest in a pathetic attempt of escape. Kakashi's grip only tightened around his waist as both searching orbs gazed cautiously and questioningly into the Uchiha's.

"What the hell are you doing." The hiss came out as more of a demand than an inquiry as Sasuke let out a deep huff of nervousness. Kakashi brought them closer, a longing gaze nearly puncturing through to the other's soul.

"Trying to understand what he has that I don't."

"_He's_ not a shotacon!" The words came out before Sasuke could stop them, causing his eyes to widen slightly in disbelief with himself. Had he really just said that to a man he respected? Horrified, the teen looked up to see Kakashi's eyes as wide as his own, yet, wide in a sense of amusement, rather than a sense of terror. Before Sasuke could furrow his brows, Kakashi released him, laughter cracking the normal monotone seriousness that was his voice. "Wh-what…?" Sasuke stuttered weakly, a blush burning his already feverishly hot cheeks.

"I see." The man spoke softly, despite the rupture of hysterics he was recovering from. Silver locks sparkled dully in the dim fluorescents of the living room. "And here I thought he won me over with some special traits…" He said no more as he attempted to keep himself from laughing further.

Sasuke blinked, unsure of what had just happened. Had he hurt the man? Or was he seriously laughing because it was funny? Had that amused him? It was true, so true. How could such grotesque truth amuse him so? A gentle huff of aggravation cursed Sasuke's lips. Kakashi smiled at him for a moment before shaking his head and getting to his feet.

"You should get some rest. I'll make some tea." He said, though the calm he had just barely achieved overshadowed his amusement, the hilarity of the atmosphere was still present.

Sasuke said nothing, choosing to remain on the couch in silence as he pondered what the elder male could have meant by 'special traits'. The teen brought his fingers to his lower lip subconsciously, recalling that the man had, indeed, kissed him. A shiver ran the length of him as the blush which had already graced his cheeks intensified.

"Ugh…" He groaned, pulling his hand up to cover his face in disbelief as the stress of the entire day washed over him.

"Here."

A subtle clatter reached the teens ears as he slid his hand down his face to see what was on the coffee table.

"Drink it, it'll help the fever."

Sighing, Sasuke forced himself to grasp the cup in both hands, sipping once before coughing and placing the cup back down where it had been. "It's bitter…" He growled before looking up at Kakashi, who smiled down gently at him.

"It's a special recipe."

"It's a terrible recipe."

The two looked at each other for a moment before Kakashi decided to sit down next to him and put an arm around him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Forcing you to get better." Before Sasuke could manage to look at his professor, the boy felt the cup back against his lips, jaw loosening as a slender finger unhinged it. "Drink it."

Sasuke cringed as the liquid burned a path down his throat, not once but thrice as he took three big gulps, only to release by coughing again. "That seriously can't be tea, damn it." He hissed in a whisper as a feeling of looseness took him over, confusing him for a moment.

"It's called a hot tottie."

Sasuke didn't have to turn around to feel the coy smile that had placed itself on the man's lips. "A wha?" He asked slowly.

"It's made with tea, honey, lemon, and cinnamon."

Sasuke felt himself sliding sideways onto his professor, despite not wanting to. "No wonder it tastes horrible…that doesn't go together at all." He mumbled, suddenly feeling tired.

Kakashi smiled. "Night night, Sasuke-kun."

"G'nigh…" Sasuke slurred in a breath. Before he could realize Kakashi had left out a key ingredient in his description of a hot tottie, the boy felt himself drifting to sleep in the man's lap, regardless of not feeling tired at all.

* * *

A/N: For those of you who don't know what a hot tottie is, it's normally made with tea, honey, and whiskey. Some add lemon, some add cinnamon. Some even add sugar. Kakashi happened to add mostly whiskey, in case you didn't catch that. And for those of you who don't know what shotacon means…it's the opposite of lolicon. Lol. And I apologize for how long this has taken me to update, as well as other fics…senior year during marching band season is tough. Heh.


	12. Running With The Devil

A/N: I'm back (for now).

* * *

There wasn't a word or even a simple flick of eye contact as the duo's fingers grazed each other, pausing only for a moment to exchange money for substance, then flying back to their owner to place themselves in pockets as to hide away from the naked eye. Then the two continued on with their day.

A small, shaky breath escaped Uchiha Sasuke's lips as he paused in the snow to glance above his scarf down to the small packet containing three pills he had slipped slightly out of his jacket pocket to affirm he had gotten what he paid for.

_Perfect…_

A smile dared to touch both cherry lips behind the thick navy scarf, but backed off as he realized the severity of what he was doing and inevitably glanced around him, undeniably paranoid. A few passerby gave him an odd look as they went about their Christmas shopping, but ignored him, nonetheless.

"Sasuke?"

The boy jumped at the sound of his name, practically spilling the contents of his pocket in a frenzy, but managing to catch them at the last second as he whipped around to find the culprit.

"…Don't do that, dobe." Sasuke growled, placing a hand on his chest to calm his racing heart. A set of cerulean blue eyes and stray golden strands glittered to the side as the teen before him cocked his head curiously, brows furrowed.

It was the first time they had seen each other in an entire month.

"Um…" Naruto started, biting his lower lip as he searched for the right words to express himself. Sasuke sighed, not wanting to listen. "How are you?"

That was it? A simple 'how are you'? He couldn't believe his ears.

"Fine." Was all he said. A short inquiry deserved a short response. Naruto nodded, swaying back on his heels a bit as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Hmm, that's good. Um, how's life on your own, huh?" He continued his pointless babbling, piquing Sasuke's nerves.

"Fine." The Uchiha repeated in a lower, warning tone. The blonde took a step back, cautious.

"Good, good…" He bit his lip once more, raising a brow at the other. "You, um, thinking of coming and living with us again any time soon?"

A pause enveloped the two as Sasuke took a long breath and closed his eyes.

"No."

"Oh…" Naruto breathed, swallowing in an attempt to wet his dry throat. "So, then…you're really never coming back to school?"

"No."

Another pause took hold of the already stiff atmosphere as Sasuke looked away. Naruto felt his heart clench.

"Oh…" He whispered, not taking his eyes off the other. It could very well be the last time he'd ever see him. "…why?"

"Why should I?"

The blonde balled his fists at his side, resisting the urge to punch his friend. "Oh, no reason, just so you can get an education, get a job and, gee, I dunno, maybe have a life?" He snapped desperately, attracting the attention of several passerby. Sasuke swallowed, hearing his heartbeat in his head as he took a step back. He couldn't handle any more emotional stress. "Well!?" At the sound of Naruto's persistence, the raven-haired boy turned.

"Go home." His voice was icy, each toxic syllable dripping with a fevered annoyance.

"NO!" The blonde advanced on his friend from behind, tugging the boy's arm roughly out of his pocket, the small packet of pills that he had been holding flying out of his grasp to collide with the stark white that was snow. Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto stopped, slowly releasing the boy as both cerulean orbs became glued to the small bag. "…Sasuke…you…"

In a panic, the Uchiha leapt at the clear plastic, snatching it up and running in the direction he was facing, opposite of where he had originally planned to tread.

_What happened? How did this happen? What have I done? Why? Why, why, why!?_

Rabid thoughts ate at his mind as he rounded a corner, paying no heed to the sharp, cool wind slicing into his exposed pores like needles.

* * *

"_You givin' up already?" Jiraiya's voice cut through the darkness, causing Sasuke to jump. He had thought, at one in the morning, the old man would be asleep. Yet, there he was on his rocker…as though he was awaiting the teen to flee._

_Sasuke said nothing, pausing for dramatic effect, as though daring the elder man to stop him._

"_Why are you running?" The creak of the rocking chair lifted in pitch as Jiraiya stood, not advancing on the other, but merely walking casually to the lamp on the far side of the room and flicking the switch, illuminating the two in a dull, florescent yellow._

"_I'm not." Sasuke's voice cracked as he countered the man weakly. Jiraiya smiled, the wrinkles around his mouth shadowed in a deep black._

"_Then what _are_ you doing?" He inquired, sitting now on the couch._

"…_leaving." It took Sasuke a moment to reply. He hadn't been expecting to answer any questions so he hadn't any responses ready like he normally did. Jiraiya chuckled._

"_And where will you go?"_

_The Uchiha stiffened defensively. "Wherever the hell I want." He hissed, charcoal eyes narrowing at the implied accusation of not being able to take care of himself._

_A lengthy sigh escaped Jiraiya's lips as he repositioned himself on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. "All right," He shrugged. "Go on."_

_Sasuke's eyes widened back to normal at this. Go on? That was it? No further question? No trying to stop him? No…nothing?_

"_Go on?" He whispered aloud, shocked. The elder of the two perked the side of his lips in a smirk._

"_That's what I said, wasn't it?" The man got to his feet once more. Sasuke shifted slightly, wary of the elder's intentions. As they neared each other, the Uchiha flinched as Jiraiya raised a hand before opening his eyes only to see a handful of money before him. "Take this, though…you'll need it."_

_Slowly, Sasuke held out a hand and allowed the money to be poured into it. There was a significant amount- no doubt Jiraiya's life savings. As his lips parted, the teen looked up, eyes filled with question and brows furrowed with curiosity._

_

* * *

_

Small puffs of condensed air formed about the outside of his mouth as he ran. He hadn't a clue where he was going, but he took the path of the sidewalk, regardless of not knowing it's outcome; dodging people and dogs.

He only narrowly caught the source of the ringing of bell- a charity foundation asking for donations.

_That's right…it's almost Christmas…_

Images of himself and Itachi fighting over who got to open presents first under the tree filled his head. His mother baking, her sweet voice as she sung along with the radio whilst the heavenly aroma of freshly baked cookies filled the house. His father smiling…the _only_ smiles they'd ever get out of him.

Tears stung at the edges of his eyes as he rounded another corner, finding it harder and harder to breathe as he pulled the salty droplets into shaky breaths as to resist them pouring out and hardening into ice on his cheeks.

* * *

_The door swung closed behind him as Sasuke exited the warm, inviting house. He looked back one last time, not knowing when the next time he'd get a chance to see it would be. Turning, the teen began his descent down the porch stairs, laptop case around his shoulder and a small bag of items in his hand._

_He hadn't a clue where he was going or how he was going to survive. For now, though, he just had to get someplace warm. It was getting to be winter. The signs of it were inevitably evident with the frost gently blanketing the grass and crystallizing the dew to ice._

_He was going to do it. He was going to prove to the entire world he could take care of himself and he didn't need the likes of his mother and father._

_He was going to prove he didn't need anyone._

_

* * *

_

The snowfall seemed to thicken as Sasuke spotted another corner. He didn't look this time, closing his eyes to keep from crying, as he rounded it, almost slipping on the snow, but managing to catch his balance at the last second, only to run smack dab into the abdomen of someone taller than he and fall backwards into the wet snow.

The teen cringed at the feel of colliding with packed snow and let out a small groan as he placed a hand to his head.

"Sasuke?"

The boy's eyes shot open at the voice. He knew that voice. He knew it all too well. He hated that voice. Hated it with such a passion…that man. He hated that man. The man that had taken advantage of him.

He kept quiet, not daring to look up to confirm his suspicions. He knew he was right. He didn't need to look up to know that.

"Sasuke, where have you been? You've been out of school for over a month now."

A hand grabbed the boy's wrist, pulling him to his feet.

"The entire staff is worried and-…" There was a pause as the bearer of said voice pried the teen's fingers open to reveal a small bag of ecstasy.

Sasuke didn't stop him from looking. He simply didn't care. Not anymore.

"Sasuke-kun…" The man's voice was hollow as the name grazed his lips. It was only then the Uchiha looked up, breathless and on the verge of tears.

As both sets of eyes met, Sasuke confirmed his suspicions.

It was, indeed, Doctor Hatake Kakashi.

* * *

A/N: I apologize for my writing skills…they seem to have diminished.  
So, for this poorly written chapter, I sincerely apologize. I'd do it better if I could, but I haven't the talent. I'll try to better the next one. I promise.


	13. Trapped By A Guild Leader?

_It was hot- hotter than a summer day in Florida. Black locks shimmered a blue hue as he tossed and squirmed beneath experienced hands. The world was spinning and he had only just woken up. Glancing at the clock, boxy blue numbers glared 2:56 am. He stared at the numbers, tracing the pixels with his eyes as his chest heaved up and down in sync with the other's breathing._

_The elder male whispered something incomprehensible in his ear before biting down on the lobe and sucking on it, massaging the flesh with his tongue before trailing down with kisses to his collar bone and licking it gently._

_Sasuke's breath caught in his throat as the echo of his gasp reverberated through his mind when the man licked his adam's apple. Kakashi had now stripped him down to his boxers right there on the couch. A hand moved up to stop the elder male but missed and fell back to his side. He wondered for a brief moment why he had missed._

_What exactly had been in that medicinal drink the man had issued him?_

_Sasuke's entire body was completely numb._

"_I'll be gentle."_

_He just barely caught the words when hot breath hit his ear as Kakashi moved away to slip the teen's boxers off._

'_No…no!' Though his lips moved, Sasuke couldn't voice his opinion. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to get his tongue to move the correct way to form a sentence anyways. "Ah-!" The teen arched his back as he felt something warm and inviting envelope the most sensitive area on his body. "N-no! St-stop!" Surprisingly, the words found their way to the surface, but were barely audible as they spilled over the swell of his lips. "No…no…_

NO!" Sasuke's hand immediately flew to his portable mini mouse and clicked on his inventory, using a temporary health boost item while his other hand flew to the f2 button, pressing it as constantly as possible, despite there being a cool down time for potions and ethers. "Don't die don't die don't die don't die…" He whispered, leaning in as the red bar above his character name began to stabilize back to normal as he dealt the finishing blow to the level 50 boss he was soloing. It cried out softly with a howl as it disappeared into the depths of the game and Sasuke stood victorious in the 3D world, gaining a significant amount of exp. "Yes…"

"Ramen?"

The teen almost jumped when he heard a voice. He had forgotten where he was. Looking up, he recalled. "…thanks." He whispered as he took the cup ramen from Kakashi, who paced his way over to the chair opposing the couch Sasuke was positioned on and sat down, eyes tracing the boy's half-stunned expression. As Sasuke looked up and met eyes with the man, a cherry hue surfaced on his cheeks as he averted his eyes to the floor, placing his laptop beside him and closing the lid without logging out of Crisis Code, knowing it would ring if someone from his guild he was friends with logged on.

He had been thinking about it. That night…that night that seemed like the bliss of long, long ago…that night Kakashi had given him a hot tottie and taken advantage of his drunken stupor. The night before he had run away.

As he chanced a glance back up, he wondered how in the hell he had ended up here. This time, he didn't look at Kakashi, but at his surroundings. The elegant chrome walls and glass spiral staircase of the spacious living room caught his eye as he snaked his vision passed the modern art pieces adorning the wall and up to the crystal chandelier dangling far above them on the third floor where the ceiling was. Trailing back down the length of the interminable wall was a marble fireplace, it's innards made of fire retardant material. And from there, the boy's eyes made their way back to Kakashi, who had finally taken his gaze from the teen and was now focused on fiddling with a remote. The teen furrowed a brow. There wasn't a single TV in sight. And the controller he was holding was most definitely to a television.

The Hatake noted the boy's confusion and smirked, pressing a large button on the underside of the remote. With a click, a screen lowered itself from a balcony-type ledge in the wall. Sasuke blinked.

"I thought teachers made low pay…" _And now that you mention it, his car… _"You have a 350z, too." He added in an undertone.

Kakashi smiled. "Oh, that old thing? I traded it in for the new 370z." As though satisfied when Sasuke's jaw dropped, the man turned and clicked the TV on. Somewhere deep in the opposing wall was a projector.

"That's not what we drove here in, was it?" Sasuke commented. Kakashi shook his head.

"Oh, no, I don't take my 370 out for errands. I take my corvette for that." The man repositioned himself in the chair, puffing his chest out slightly as he gave the teen a wink. Sasuke's eyes were wide as he subconsciously shook his head.

The boy looked up, attempting to scan the rest of the mansion's interior that they were currently in. Just the living room and entrance hall was enough to send someone into shock. "…what does Mrs. Hatake do?" He questioned slowly, wondering if there was another source of income. There was a pause.

"There is no Mrs. Hatake."

The Uchiha stiffened, flashbacks of the night he had been taken advantage of gnawing through his thought process till it had engulfed him, causing a shiver to run the length of him. The teen swallowed, reminding himself to breathe.

Kakashi eyed the cup ramen. "Are you going to eat?"

Sasuke looked down to his hands, suddenly realizing he was still holding the thing and hadn't taken a single bite yet. Somehow, he just wasn't hungry anymore. The boy set the cup down on the glass coffee table between them and shook his head, avoiding eye contact.

Sounds of an American sitcom filled the room. Kakashi did, indeed, have surround sound with speakers all over the living room disguised in plants and as part of the wall.

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, feeling the elder male's gaze burning a hole through the top of his head as he fiddled with a loose thread on his coat.

"…are you going to tell me?" Kakashi's voice was gentle and almost drowned out by the background noise of the TV. Sasuke didn't chance a glance this time, keeping his eyes glued to the floor as though it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

"Tell you what?" He whispered. The atmosphere was already heavy. He didn't know why he had asked what it was he needed to say. He already knew what the man wanted to know.

"What the hell's going on with you, that's what."

Sasuke cringed at the stern, overbearing voice the man had. It was intimidating when he raised his voice even the slightest, which was rare. Kakashi turned the television off, getting to his feet. "Well?" He persisted, vocals quieting themselves to a normal level once more. The Uchiha made the mistake of shrugging, biting his lower lip as he lowered his head, hiding behind his hair.

"Alright, then…" Kakashi continued, sighing heavily as he retook his seat on the chair, apparently having rethought the action he was going to take prior. "If you don't know, then how about we start with some simple questions you _do_ know, hm?" He inquired. Sasuke didn't move for a moment, before shrugging once more, pulling his legs up onto the couch and burying his face in his knees as he pulled them closer to himself.

Kakashi didn't stop. "Who are you living with right now?"

There was silence before a small voice mumbled a 'no one' to break the pregnant pause. He could hear the man sigh once more. "And where are you living?"

Sasuke wouldn't answer that question. He refused. There was no way he'd tell the man his whereabouts. For all he knew, Kakashi was a shotacon _and_ a rapist! He couldn't risk giving away his address to a man like that. The Uchiha chanced raising his head to glare at the elder male before averting his gaze once more, hoping the man had gotten the picture.

Kakashi shook his head. "Why are you being so difficult?"

"You forced me here!" Sasuke protested. The Hatake looked taken aback.

"I did no such thing!"

"Then what the hell do you call pulling me into your car by the wrist and driving me back to your house then, huh?" The boy's voice began to escalate.

"I call it saving a lost teenager from doing something stupid." He hissed, holding up the bag of x he had taken from his student. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly before he looked away, biting his lower lip in affirmation that he had no comeback. Kakashi huffed. "I thought so."

This only made Sasuke bury himself in his knees once more, hiding away from the world beneath shocks of raven. Kakashi straightened himself, throwing the pack of x on the expensive coffee table between them. "Why did you drop out of school? Do you have a job?"

Sasuke's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat. Yes, in these past months, he had, indeed, gotten a job…

The Uchiha gulped. "I do." He whispered, attempting to make it clear he would not elaborate on the matter. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, hearing the warning the teen had issued, but ignoring it nonetheless.

"And your occupation is…?"

A heavy silence fell between the two as Sasuke squeezed both onyx orbs shut, shaking his head. He had only taken the job for the money…the inexplicably high pay. Was it his fault all the shady jobs harboured the best income? And how in the world would he word such a job to make it seem like it was nothing bad?

"Well?" Kakashi persisted, shattering the Uchiha's thoughts. Sasuke took a shaky breath, resolving to just say it.

"Prostitution."

A small laugh was issued from the Hatake's mouth, causing the teen to look up, brows furrowed. "What the hells so funny, old man?" He hissed, clearly piqued. Kakashi shook his head, a painful smile tainting his lips.

"It's just…" He began, voice barely above a whisper. "My last wish in the world was for you to not say something like that. Yet, I knew it was coming." He paused for a moment, putting his fingers to his chin in contemplation. "To think you've fallen this far…"

Sasuke felt his entire body stiffen at the accusation, causing his throat to run dry prior to unexpectedly feeling his teeth grinding in anger as he allowed his legs to slide off the couch. Kakashi looked up as Sasuke got to his feet, walking briskly towards the man. "Sasuke?" The name merely brushed his lips before the teen had brought his hand across the man's face, slapping him as hard as he possibly could.

A stinging sensation enveloped the Hatake's left cheek as he allowed a smirk to caress the corner of his mouth upwards. Sasuke took a step back, anger pumping through him as he withheld himself from punching the man. "Like hell I've fallen." He growled, body shaking in rage. "But guess what, I don't give a damn anymore!"

"I can see that." The elder male stated calmly. Sasuke twitched slightly at the man's words, withholding hot tears from clawing their way out of his eyes.

"If it wasn't for that goddamned Itachi, then maybe I fucking would give a damn! Itachi this, Itachi that…that's _all_ they _ever_ talk about! Since Itachi's so goddamned perfect, why the hell would they need me!? I'm just-"

Both onyx orbs widened slightly at the feel of a warm embrace. Kakashi had stood, expression growing more pained with each salty word spoken, and had taken the teen in his arms, pulling him close against his abdomen and running a hand through the boy's raven locks to press his head close to his chest. "Shhh." He whispered. "That's enough."

Sasuke shivered in the boys arms, regretting the strides he had taken to walk across the room. For a moment, his body betrayed him, enjoying the comfort he was receiving by leaning into Kakashi's touch. Then, with the realization of what he was doing, the Uchiha pushed against the man, struggling to free himself.

"Let me go!" He grunted. Kakashi only held tighter.

"No."

"Why the hell not!?"

Kakashi lowered his head to engulf his nose in the sweet scent that was Sasuke's hair. "Just the thought of other men's hands on you makes me sick." He whispered. Sasuke stopped, flashbacks of the things he had sexually endured for cash making his entire body cold. He shook his head slowly.

"…let me go." The teen mumbled, vocals backing off to a shy, hurt realm. Kakashi loosened his grip, noting that the boy was no longer struggling, yet still kept a steady hold. "…please…"

* * *

_im coming im coming_

The raven-haired teen almost made a typo as he attempted to make his character auto-run and speak at the same time.

**Zaboo says **_Dude hurry up! We got bosses to slay! Manly bosses. Slay. Like men!_

Sasuke huffed at his guild member.

_im runnin as fast as i can damit. just hold the hell on_

**Tinkerballa says **_what the hell crawled up ur ass mr pissed off?_

Sasuke felt his eye twitch as flashbacks of Kakashi entered his mind. The man had, indeed, let him go after his plea, but had brought the two together in a kiss as punishment. Sasuke subconsciously allowed his fingers to touch his own lips, remembering the warm, luscious taste of the other before shaking his head and bringing himself back to reality…or, virtual reality.

_sry…_

**Vork says **_All right, now, everyone just calm down! I know Resplendence has been on a hiatus lately but we need to remember that our guild leader shall return and till he returns I, the guilds co-leader, am in control! And I like to keep the peace so, guildies, calm down!!_

**Clara says **_Ya just chill everybody~!_

Sasuke bit his lower lip, debating whether to protest the words of the man or not. He eventually decided on the latter, knowing that Bladezz would take that job anyday.

A smooth ding on his monitor caused the boy's eyes to veer to the right, taking note of who logged on. With a sigh, the boy also took note it wasn't Resplendence.

**Codex says **_Hey guys! I'm, um, back._

As Sasuke watched the guild chat flicker with greetings, he laid back on his pillow, watching his character auto-run to where the rest of his party was before looking out his open door to the hallway, wondering what Kakashi was doing. The man had retreated to his room after the incident, telling Sasuke he was to stay here for the night. The Uchiha had reluctantly agreed, knowing he was about to be evicted from his apartment anyways and would be on the streets soon.

Sighing, the boy looked back to his screen, furrowing a brow at all the text in his guild chat as he arrived at his destination.

**Bladezz says** _Bout time newbie. Let's go already. I wanna try out this new +5 dex vest._

**Clara says **_Oh hush. You kids play nice now!_

Sasuke rolled his eyes before another ding brought his attention back to the corner of his screen. Immediately, the boy's eyes lit up.

**Zaboo says **_RESPLEN! MY MAN! Where've you been??_

Sasuke felt his heart beat rapidly in his head, breathing shallow.

**Resplendence says **_I'm sorry guys. I've been busy irl. n.n;_

The Uchiha swallowed, fingers hovering over the keys. It took him a second to work up the courage to type anything up to the other, only to have himself disconnected in the process. Grumbling angrily, the boy relogged, hoping he hadn't missed anything.

_Ding_

Sasuke stopped, freezing as he heard the familiar sound of another player logging on the moment he relogged. But it hadn't come from his computer. The server hadn't loaded that fast. The teen sat there for a moment, confused, before glancing towards the open door.

"Kakashi…?" He whispered, before setting his laptop aside with a quick 'afk' notice and crawling out of the room and cautiously making his way towards Kakashi's room, not daring to make a sound. Barely breathing, the sound around him was drowned out by the rapid spasms of his heart. Swallowing, Sasuke peeked through the crack in Kakashi's bedroom door, setting eyes on a monitor and tower in the mans room, logged onto Crisis Code.

Both onyx orbs widened as he looked at the familiar setting and began to allow his gaze to veer towards the man's character name. _It couldn't be…_

"Well, well, you're just full of curiosity, aren't you, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke froze before he got to read it, heart beat stopping entirely as the teen felt himself fall into a cold sweat.

"Read your afk message." The man whispered, standing behind the boy, who didn't dare turn around. The teen swallowed once before making a decision and turned to run only to be caught around the waist by Kakashi, who pulled him back and grabbed the boys chin, forcing him to look into his devious gaze. "Are you surprised?"

* * *

A/N: To any of you who caught my The Guild reference…I love you. Marry me. To everyone else…go to youtube and type in The Guild and watch the seasons. Then maybe you'll understand…lmfao.

Anyways, long chapter ftw? Oh look, it's 2am. I have to get up in 5 hours. Yay…lol. Anyways…I just downloaded the game AudioSurf. Pretty fun game when you're bored out of your fucking mind. Go play, minions. Btw if any of you are into Sasuke angst ficlets I posted a oneshot. Go read.

Now I am going to go eat a chocolate marshmallow snowman and play some ff…speaking of marshmallows, why don't we say marsh-mah-low instead of marsh-mell-oh? English language is fucked up…rofl.

Yeah I'm gonna shut up now. (Do you wanna date my avatar? ;3)

Review if you want another chapter.


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